The Top Floor
by KandKL
Summary: Sasuke is sent to a mental hospital for treatment for his special condition. If the doctors and tests don't kill him, his fellow patients might. Except for a certain blondehaired boy...SasuNaruSasu eventually with some NejiShika. Rated for languagecontent
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Behold, one of my first attempts at Naruto yaoi. If you like boys getting the lovin' on, then read on. If not, please stop here. Flames received for yaoi content will be ignored.**

**Summary: ** **Sasuke is sent to a metal hospital for treatment for his "special condition". If the doctors and tests don't kill him, his fellow patients might. Except for a certain blonde haired boy...Sasu/Naru eventually with slight Neji/Shika. Rated for language and content.**

**OoOo.**

The scenery outside the window was a blur as the car sped down the road. Inside sat a boy, wearing a nice suit, his hands cuffed in front of him.

He had been dressed up for his hearing with the judge, where it had been determined that he was unfit to live in regular society and must further be placed into a secured living situation. Meaning mental hospital. Because, apparently, he was losing his marbles, or something like that.

"Don't look so depressed Sasuke" the man sitting next to him chided softly. "It could be much worse. It should be nice there, I've heard it's a great facility"

"They're sending me to the loony bin, Obito. Tell me what is good about that" Sasuke's voice was low and tense as he glared out the window.

Obito quieted down as they pulled onto a long gated drive. Their driver pulled to a stop before the gate and punched in a number code, causing the gate to swing open. It was then that the large white building came into view. A sign next to the drive read "Welcome to Saint Olaf Mental Institution".

The driver pulled around to the front of the building and stopped. Obito gave Sasuke's shoulder a squeeze as a nurse came to his door and opened it.

"Welcome to Saint Olaf, do you have any bags?"

Sasuke glanced back at Obito, his eyes so forlorn that Obito considered stealing him away so he wouldn't have to live here. "Goodbye"

Sasuke just shook his head and stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

The nurse before him, clad in white, took his small duffel bag and lead him into the automatic doors. As soon as he entered, Sasuke suddenly felt self-conscious. People all around him, most of whom indeed looked crazy, were all staring at him and murmuring loudly, as if he couldn't hear them. The nurse walked briskly to the front desk and gave him his bag.

"She will sign you in and you'll be escorted to your room" the nurse smiled before walking away.

"Name please" the woman sitting behind the desk asked, not even glancing up.

"Uchiha, Sasuke"

She typed a few strokes and then pressed a button that lit up. A few moments later, another nurse appeared, taking the clip board the secretary handed her and walking away with a soft "Follow me".

Sasuke followed her through countless corridors and up four levels on the stairs. Everywhere he went there were people roaming the halls, all dressed in white uniforms. He noticed that the higher he went, the more unstable the patients seemed to get. It was not reassuring that he was on the fourth floor.

They finally reached their destination, a single door on the fourth floor. He nurse hung his clipboard on the door (alongside four other clipboards) and motioned Sasuke to enter.

Their was a main room, about 40x20 in size, where sat a table, two chairs, an old TV and three windows on the far side of the room. Once inside the common room, he could see that from that main room, there branched six other, smaller rooms.

The nurse directed him to the last door on the right. "This is your room"

Inside was as plain as the common room; it held a bed and a chair. And, like everywhere else in the hospital, the carpet and walls were bleach white.

He dropped his bag on the floor next to his bed and stared at the walls with a frown.

The nurse caught his attention again. "The boys are out for an outside break, and they'll be in shortly. They're all very pleasant, you should be fine. Pull the nurse call chord in the bathroom if you need assistance."

And with that, she left.

Sasuke watched her leave and then began to look around. There were four other bedrooms, and he was surprised to find that each was very distinct from the other. The first he entered looked like a child's jungle-gym. Shelves and balconies jutted out from the walls, a rope and a few rungs were attached to the ceiling. Everything was uniformly white, but a thick carpet covered the floor instead of linoleum.

He moved to the next room.

This one was odd too. Two of the four walls were covered in dry-erase board, and every square inch of that was covered with scribbling of what appeared to be some sort of mathematical equations. He backed out of the room slowly.

'So…we have a psycho man-monkey and a freak genius. Fabulous'

The other two rooms were more of what he expected. The first was completely bare. Nothing in it at all. If he hadn't known better, he would have guessed that no one lived there.

The last room was something that Sasuke had really thought would be more common in a place like this. The walls, the floor, the furniture. Everything was covered with a thick, cottony padding.

Sasuke walked back into his own room and laid down on the bed. Which, to the places credit, was actually pretty comfortable. He closed his eyes and rested his hands on his chest.

A few moments later, he felt a slight tickle on his neck. He cracked his eye open a bit-

HOLY SHIT.

A boy that looked about his age was crouched over his body, his feet on either side of the bed frame. His face was about two inches from Sasuke's and his look was quizzical.

Sasuke's heart was in his throat as he slowly pulled himself away from the other boy.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his neck snapping to the side twice at the end of his statement.

Sasuke gulped, now thoroughly scared. '"The boys are nice" my ass…' he thought.

"Kiba, get off of him" a voice from the doorway scolded with a sigh.

The boy, Kiba, leapt off of his bed in one swift motion and looked up at the boy who had called him.

"Who is he Shika?" Kiba asked again, whispering loudly and not so discretely motioning towards Sasuke.

Kiba was ignored as the other boy addressed Sasuke casually. "I'm Shikamaru, you?"

Sasuke let out a breath as his pulse returned to normal. "Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha"

"Welcome to paradise" Shikamaru muttered as he exited to the common room.

Kiba gave Sasuke one last glance, a soft mewl escaping his throat, and followed Shika out.

Sasuke sat for a moment, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He had only met two of the occupants and he was already quite alarmed. He pushed himself to his feet and cautiously entered the common room.

Shikamaru and a boy he did not yet know were playing some game with cards on the floor. The other boy had long, ridiculously sleek black hair, and secured tightly to his body, Sasuke noticed with a flinch, was a strait jacket. What concerned Sasuke more was that the boy did not have his arms wrapped around himself as a normal jacket would, but the sleeves were twisted around so he could have the normal use of both of his arms, rendering the jacket ineffective.

Kiba was sitting cross legged on a chair, swaying side to side happily as he watched reruns of I Love Lucy on the TV. Occasionally, small noises would escape him or his body would shake or snap out.

'Tourrets?' wondered Sasuke.

He approached the two playing cards, and sat on a chair nearby, watching them. He felt a tickle in his throat and he coughed, causing both boys to look up at him.

And holy hell, the boys eyes were white.

Shikamaru saw his surprise and motioned to the boy across from him.

"Neji, Sasuke. Sasuke, Neji" Shika turned back to their game as did Neji.

Their game continued and Kiba flipped the channels a few times.

Suddenly, Shikamaru stood and quickly trotted to his room. Sasuke heard the squeak of marker on dry-erase. Shikamaru came back with a satisfied smile and plopped back down with a grunt. They continued their game as if nothing had happened.

He heard the sound of white noise and turned to see the TV on static.

"NARUTO! The TV isn't workiiiiiiing!" Kiba announced far too loudly.

Another boy exited the padded room and quickly walked up to the TV, adjusting the antenna slightly. The picture returned to normal and Kiba grinned and let out a strange bark as his neck rolled.

"You're welcome Kiba" the boy said softly, smiling. He seemed to sense Sasuke and their eyes met. Naruto smiled and walked over to where Sasuke sat.

Sasuke watched the boy intently. His hair was bright blond, almost ridiculously so and it spiked in every direction. And his eyes were almost chillingly blue.

He held out his hand. "I'm Naruto, nice to meet you"

Sasuke grasped it firmly, eyeing the boy cautiously. He seemed somewhat…sane?

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but a buzzer sounded, cutting him off. Kiba popped out off his chair to his feet.

"Lunch time!"

Everyone looked up as a nurse entered the room, balancing several trays on her arms. She hurried to the table and set the trays down. She handed out a turkey sandwich and a banana to everyone, along with a pint of milk. Then, she handed out pills.

She handed a few to Kiba, a few to Shikamaru, more to Neji and even more, about 7, to Naruto.

"No meds for you?" asked Naruto, peeling the crusts off of Kiba's sandwich.

The nurse cut in. "Until we evaluate the severity of Mr. Uchiha's condition, he will remain off medication. I'll be back for your trays in twenty minutes" With that, she left.

They all moved off to separate corners with their trays, Neji and Shikamaru together, and Kiba and Naruto too. Sasuke sat down on the chair, unsure of where he belonged. Kiba peeled his banana and took a small chunk out, flicking it into Naruto's hair. Kiba giggled and did it again.

"Kiba, stop" Naruto said pulling the banana away, causing Kiba to whine and reach for it.

"I wont do it again" he whispered, and grinned gleefully when Naruto returned the fruit.

Shikamaru watched the interaction with a bored look, and Neji didn't even seem to acknowledge them. Silence lasted a few more moments before Sasuke saw Kiba flick another piece of banana; the piece bouncing off Naruto's nose.

Naruto gave Kiba a disapproving look and took the banana away from him again, setting it behind him.

"No! Give it back! Give it baaacck" Kiba's voice trailed off at the end and his eyes widened in a frightening way. Sasuke began to worry for Naruto's safety. Naruto simply met Kiba's eyes and said evenly,

"You cant have it if you cant act responsibly"

He didn't sound angry, or even condescending which surprised Sasuke. Kiba was sulking, folding his arms over his chest in a most childlike manner. Then, as Naruto continued to eat, he lunged at Naruto in an attempt to retrieve his lost fruit. Their bodies collided, and they both rolled to the floor. Sasuke heard the snap of Naruto's jaws closing as his head hit the floor.

All the sudden an alarm sounded blaringly loud on the ceiling. Intermittent beeps filled the room so loudly that Sasuke had to cover his ears. Shikamaru let out a sigh, and Neji stood to his feet and went to his room. Shika trailed behind him, and the door slammed shut.

Simultaneously, the door to the common room swung open and three nurses ran in, heading strait for Naruto. Kiba leapt off of Naruto, a shocked and guilty expression on his face. A nurse grabbed each of his arms while another opened his mouth and thoroughly inspected it. The third shut off the alarm and knelt down next to Naruto.

The nurse inspecting his mouth sighed. "What was that Naruto?" she said in a gentle voice.

"It was an accident" Naruto said slowly, trying to diffuse the situation. "Kiba knocked into me"

The nurses were looking at him intently and Naruto gave the leader a pleading look.

"It was an accident" squeaked Kiba, who was cowering in a far corner. The buzzer seemed to have frightened him.

Sasuke looked from the nurses, to Naruto, to Kiba, trying to decipher the situation. What was…?

"We have to Naruto, I'm sorry" the tallest nurse said in a motherly tone.

Naruto's reaction was immediate. His eyes lit up in dismay and he struggled against the woman that held his arms. "Please, don't" he pleaded, his eyes flickering between the nurses.

"We cant take any chances Naruto, you know that" the nurse holding his arms said as she slowly pulled him towards the door that lead to the hallway.

Kiba leapt to his feet, scrambling to them. "Please, it was my fault!" he wailed, reaching for Naruto like a lost child would for its mother. Naruto spoke finally, his voice soft and muted.

"Its ok, Kiba. Finish your lunch ok?"

Kiba nodded and plopped to the ground in a shaking heap. The nurses lead Naruto out of the room slowly, and Sasuke watched in confusion as Naruto disappeared and the door shut, the lock clicking quietly.

"My fault. My fault. My fault" Kiba muttered as he shuffled to his room. He stopped at the doorway to look back at Sasuke. He pointed to himself, his face wrinkling up in a whimper.

"It was my fault" he whispered, before disappearing into his room.

Sasuke leaned back on his chair and took a deep breath. What exactly was that? He looked around, gaping for answers. He got up slowly and walked to his room. Shaking his head, he laid himself down and closed his eyes. This place did not seem promising.

He must of drifted off somewhat, because he awoke with a start when something landed on his chest with a plop. He sat up and saw that the thing that had awoken him was a folder, filled to the point of bursting. A voice from the doorway startled him.

"I figure you need to fill in some blanks. All of Naruto's information is in there" Shikamaru said, motioning to the folder. Sasuke stared at it dumbly and then back at Shika.

"How did you…"

"Make sure to give it back when you're done. You'd be in big trouble if you were caught with that"

And with that, Shikamaru left, leaving Sasuke alone. He took out the first set of papers. They seemed to be general repost of his condition. He scanned over Naruto's statistics such as weight and height and stopped on the paragraph that read "Symptoms" . He read:

Patient appears suicidal. Numerous attempts on his own life have been made. Patient seems unable to control these attempts made on said life, and he shows almost none of typical traits suicidal individuals have. He seems very content with his life, and it appears that he is unhappy with his condition. He doesn't want his life do end, and yet he cant stop himself from trying. The attempts on patients life come in waves. He will be symptom free for a few weeks and then he will make an attempt on his life. He has been placed in a secure environment with sensors to alert out staff to any attempts he makes on his life. Once an attempt has been made, he is retained in a highly monitored area until his symptoms relapse. Tests are done during that time to try and ascertain the abnormalities in his brain that cause his condition.

Safety precautions have been set up around his living quarters, including:

-pressure sensors on the tables, chairs and beds to prevent Patient from hitting head on said hard surfaces.

-pressure sensor on tongue to prevent Patient from biting tongue to induce bleeding. ('That explains it…' Sasuke thought)

-cameras set in Patients room

Patient is receiving therapy to help him sort out his emotions.

With that, the page ended. Sasuke flipped through a few other pages, one cathicng his eye that was from his therapist. It said that they felt that the tests were extremely emotionally, mentally and physically taxing on Naruto and that they requested for the tests to be stopped. They were denied.

Sasuke continued to flip through, when a few photo's caught his eye. He pulled them out to examine them, and immediately wished he hadn't. One was of Naruto, laying across the floor with blood pouring out of his wrists and pooling around him on the floor. Other of the photo's included the blonde with head injuries, a mouthful of blood. It made Sasuke want to gag.

He closed the folder quickly, sliding it under his bed. He quickly laid himself back down in his bed, hoping his nausea would pass. He let out a slow breath between his lips as he closed his eyes, trying to get the image of a half-dead blonde out of his mind.

God these people were crazy.

But then again, he was on the top floor.

**OoOo.**

**Welcome one and all, and thank you for reading my fic. If you read it, liked it or hated it, please review. Its so nice. I promise that this is indeed a Sasu/Naru fic. Eventually.  More motives and more problems will be revealed with the next chapter, so please bear with the 'transitional'-ness of this chapter. If I get positive feedback, I will continue this, if not I'll probably let it drop. Its up to you guys. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Thanks to my lovely beta mirandler43. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Important note: This fic is officially being co-written by mirandler45. We were up till 4 am bouncing ideas off of each other and I really like the final product. Any comments are too her as well. If you like the style of this chapter be sure to tell us! (this chapter is significantly longer thanks to the joining of our brains!)**

**Diclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its characters. If I did, the boys would be getting it on. And ninja uniform would be no uniform. **

**Warning: Rating has been upped to Mature. Things tend to get dark at some points in this fic, especially in chapter 3. Detailed warnings at the beginning of the next chapter.**

**OoOo.**

Naruto wasn't even gone for a day. It seemed that the doctors had realized that it had been indeed an accident and had released Naruto the following morning. Sasuke was relieved about this. In Naruto's absence, Shika and Neji had been very withdrawn, only coming out of their rooms for dinner, and Kiba hadn't even come out for that. The nurse had to bring his food into his room and coax him to eat, the boy was so distraught.

It left Sasuke completely alone, and although Sasuke was far from a people person, he began to feel the loneliness set in as he stared at the white walls for hours until he finally laid down for sleep.

He awoke the next morning to the sound of the door opening. Through the haze of his sleep he heard a nurse call for breakfast, and he slowly made his way out of bed. By the time he had made it out to the common room, Shika, Neji and Kiba were all there, eating their breakfasts. He plopped down on the floor, opening his small box of cereal and pouring in some milk. Conversation was nonexistent as the nurse passed out pills to everyone. Then she left.

A thick silence filled the room, only the noise plastic spoons scraping against Styrafoam bowls interrupting. To Sasuke's immense relief, a few minutes later, the door opened, and in walked Naruto.

The expression on Kiba's face was indescribable. He let out a squeal of sorts, and dashed to Naruto. He was about to tackle him with joy, but then he seemed to remember the incident yesterday and he stopped himself. He took slow deliberate steps towards Naruto, who waited patiently, the concentration obvious on his face. He then hugged Naruto cautiously, as if he might break.

Naruto let out a short laugh and returned the embrace. "Hey Kiba, how are you?"

Kiba pulled back, once again excited that his friend was back. "We're eating breakfast!"

Naruto laughed again, shaking his head as he did. He followed Kiba to his seat and watched Kiba with an amused smile as the boy happily crunched down his previously untouched cereal. Sasuke couldn't help but notice how the mood of the room seemed to lighten when the blonde was there. A smooth low voice came from across the room.

"You've decided to grace us with your presence once again, Naruto?"

Sasuke turned to see Neji with a slight smirk on his face. He saw the edges of Shikamaru's mouth twitching up.

Naruto laughed again and smiled at Neji. "Don't act like you didn't miss me."

"I did!" Kiba whispered loudly into Naruto's ear, spraying little of crumbs of raisin bran as he spoke.

They laughed then, Shikamaru, Naruto and Kiba together. Suddenly, Sasuke felt left out, like it was an inside joke that he had not yet earned the right to laugh at. Everyone turned to their meals again and it was silent for a few minutes. Suddenly, Shikamaru raised his head with a start.

"Do we have Group today?"

There was a pause, followed by groans and grumbles. Even Neji muttered something about "incompetent doctors" under his breath.

"At least Shizune is back," Naruto pointed out. "No more of that guy….what was his name?"

"Gellars," Shikamaru muttered, "I couldn't stand that guy."

They all made a face and simultaneously drawled in a nasally voice, "And how do you feeeeeel about that?"

Sasuke tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh at this, causing all eyes to fall on him.

"Easy for you! You weren't stuck with him everyday for 45 minutes," Naruto said, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"If I had to listen to him talk about my color of my innermost psyche one more time, I think I would have punched him in the face," Shikamaru grumbled.

"What exactly is…Group?" Sasuke asked.

Neji let out a small snort. "We all get a circle and discuss our _feelings_. It's riveting."

Shikamaru let out a small laugh at this, and it was only then when Sasuke realized how close they were sitting. They both sat cross-legged, their knees touching each other. Sasuke watched as Shikamaru matter-of-factly scooped the marshmallows out of his cereal and into Neji's bowl. Neji ate one and with an incredibly dissatisfied crinkling of his face he hurriedly transferred the marshmallows and a good deal of milk to the floor beside him.

Sasuke nudged Naruto with his elbow and nodded his head in the odd couples direction, hoping for some sort of explanation. Naruto just shook his head and discreetly raised a finger to his lips. Sasuke went back to watching the boys, who continued eating as though nothing had happened.

The door opened, and in walked a young, pretty nurse. Sasuke had never seen her before, but the others responded as if they knew her well.

"Ten Ten!" Kiba chirped happily, clapping his hands when he saw her.

"Time for your vitals boys, come on," she said, motioning for them to follow her out the door with a smile. A smile, that is, until she saw the soggy mess of marshmallows and milk on the floor. She stopped Neji, who had been hurriedly exiting the room and dragged him back to the pile.

"Neji, we've discussed this. The food _does not_ belong on the floor, it belongs in _your stomach,_" she said, rubbing her stomach to imitate "yummy".

Neji snorted. "That _stuff_ does not belong in my stomach. Those aren't even real marshmallows," he said pointedly.

Ten Ten shot him a look that must have promised some kind of punishment, because Neji grudgingly kneeled down and scooped the soggy mess back into his bowl. With a glare in Ten Ten's direction, he quickly shuffled out of the room, Shikamaru hot on his heels, hiding his laughter behind his hand.

They formed a single file line and followed her out of their common room and down the hall. Naruto leaned up to whisper in Sasuke's ear,

"She's just going to take our blood pressure and stuff. We used to have the equipment in our room, but Kiba got bored and popped the pressure cuff."

Sasuke raised a quizzical eyebrow as they descended some stairs and entered a clinic looking room.

Naruto shook his head, chuckling to himself. "I don't even know."

"If you boys will please take you seats, we can begin" Ten Ten said, pulling out a blood pressure cuff.

Kiba's eyes widened in excitement.

After their vitals had been taken, they were escorted back to their room, where everyone split up to their separate rooms once again. Sasuke ended up in the common room, watching TV with Kiba for about an hour. A timer on the wall sounded, beeping mildly, and Sasuke heard the faint click of the door to the hallway being unlocked. Naruto stuck his head out of his bedroom door and called to Kiba and Sasuke.

"Time for Group, lets go. Sasuke, could you get Neji and Shika?"

Sasuke walked to Shikamaru's door and opened it slowly. Both boys sat cross-legged, facing each other, their knees touching. Neji had been leaning over, as if whispering something into Shika's ear, when he heard the door open. His eyes met Sasuke's and he glared. Sasuke took a step back. "Time for Group…"

Clearly he had interrupted something he didn't want to know about. He turned and walked quickly after Naruto. Shikamaru helped Neji to his feet.

"You're so mean sometimes" he commented with a slight grin (to which Neji just grunted), taking Neji's hand and pulling him after Sasuke's quickly retreating back.

"I see we have someone new with us this morning," the woman whose name was Shizune said, smiling softly.

The room they sat in was a plain gray room with tile floors. They sat on folding chairs in a circle around a table.

"Your name is…" she glanced at her chart, "Sasuke Uchiha, correct?"

He nodded.

She seemed to size him up before she continued. "My name is Shizune, and we're all here to talk about the tough stuff that you boys have to go through. Welcome to our group."

Again, a simple nod was all he gave her.

Not deterred, she addressed the whole group. "Our theme today is self-esteem. Its easy for us to beat ourselves up for not being perfect, but today we are going to focus on being proud of the good things that we have done, instead of our mistakes."

She looked around at the boys expectantly, waiting for some kind of response. Sasuke looked around the group to find that only Naruto was giving Shizune his full attention. Neji was staring at the table, leaning forward on his elbows. Shikamaru was relaxed back in his chair, staring out the window with his arm draped lazily around the back of Neji's chair. Even Kiba wasn't paying attention, bouncing slightly up and down on his chair, his eyes quickly shifting around the room.

Shizune sighed, knowing that this was probably the best she was going to get from this group and plowed forward with the discussion.

"Is there anything that any of you have done since the last time that we've seen each other that you're proud of?"

Kiba's bouncing sped up, and he raised his hand enthusiastically.

"Kiba, would you like to start?"

He nodded excitedly, but quickly sobered as he took a breath. "Yesterday, I put away my _socks_." He was a picture of complete solemnity as he nodded.

"Well, good job Kiba, are you proud of yourself?" Shizune asked.

His seriousness evaporated, and he nodded quickly with a large grin plastered on his face.

"Good work, Kiba, I'm proud of you!", Shizune smiled in a congratulatory way, and then turned to Naruto. "What about you Naruto? I heard you had an exciting day."

He smiled goofily and shrugged his shoulders. "Let's see….I stayed patient while I tried to explain that yesterday was an accident."

Shizune 'ah-ed' quietly and nodded as he spoke. "That's a big step forward Naruto, well done."

Shikamaru was next. He pushed himself slightly out of his slouched posture and responded,

"I might have figured out a formula to predict Naruto's attempts. I think I can predict when his next-,"

"Thank you, Shikamaru," Shizune cut in quickly. Giving Naruto the exact dates of his…attacks…would only give him something very negative to focus on. There was no need to put that on the boys already weighted shoulders. "Neji?"

He paused. When he saw that she had no intention of passing over him, he said,

"I ate a little of everything at dinner last night."

"Ahh," Shizune nodded, "Is it hard for you to eat a lot of food?"

"Only because the food here sucks ass. Apparently, I've finally built up a tolerance or something."

A snort came from Shikamaru, and he bit his lip when Shizune furrowed her eyebrows.

"We don't swear here, Neji, you know that," she reprimanded, giving him a disapproving look.

Neji face took on a hurt look. "What? You're not proud of me?"

She chose not to dignify that with a response. She turned to Sasuke, and gave him her best smile. "And what about you? You've been through a lot of change recently. Surely you have something that you've done that you're proud of?"

He stared at her evenly, and she watched him, waiting for a response.

"Um…well…I don't have anyone hating me yet," he gave a slight, sideways glance to Neji. "I don't think anyway."

"And that's an accomplishment...why?" came the biting retort from Neji.

Sasuke glared. "_Because_ I'm not a very sociable person. Or so I'm told."

Shizune tried to diffuse the tense atmosphere. "Well, I suppose that is something to be proud of. Very good, boys," she said looking at all of them. She looked at her watch and frowned. "Well…that's all the time we have for today-,"

Chairs scraped on the floor as they were pushed back, and when she looked up, her room was empty.

As soon as they reached their room, as Sasuke had begun to expect, Shikamaru and Neji split off into Shika's room and closed the door. He turned on the TV for a few minutes, but nothing good was on. He clicked it off, and was about to enter his room, when he heard humming coming from Naruto's open bedroom. He walked to the door and saw Naruto sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, with Kiba's head in his lap.

Kiba hummed softly and traced invisible patterns in the carpet as Naruto idly played with his hair. Naruto looked up and motioned for Sasuke to join them. Sasuke walked in slowly, his feet sinking into the padded floor. He sat down a foot away from Naruto and watched him run his fingers through the wild boy's hair. It was weird, quite frankly, to see the boy sitting so quietly.

He opened his mouth to speak, shut it, and then opened it again. "What…happened to him?" Sasuke asked tentatively.

Kiba stopped humming, but continued to trace circles on the floor as Naruto began.

"He grew up in a bad home, or so I heard. His dad would beat him and his mother whenever he got drunk, and it was really tough for them. I think his mom would protect him from his dad; he was really attached to her, I know that.

One day-," he paused as Kiba shifted and closed his eyes, "One day, his father was so bad that his mother told him to go to the neighbor's house and to stay there. The neighbors called the cops, but it was too late. They found his mom beaten to death, and the father was no where to be seen. Child services picked him up and sent him to a foster home. They were good to him, but it became apparent as the years went by that he seemed unable to mature emotionally and mentally beyond the age that he was the day his mother died.

They had him in assisted living situation for a while, but they realized he was too much…he has severe ADHD, and that mixed with his emotional immaturity was too much for them to handle. So they sent him here."

Naruto said it all matter-of-factly as he continued to play and tease Kiba's short brown hair. "He seems to see me as his mother, I think."

Silence filled the room. Sasuke watched Naruto with detached interest. He supposed he should be feeling sad for Kiba, or even empathy, but the truth was that he had a hard time feeling anything lately. If he had been feeling like himself in the last twenty-four hours, he would have no friends here. He would have been scoffing at Kiba's antics, ignoring Shikamaru and vehemently arguing with Neji. Only Naruto would have had a chance at holding his attention in a positive manner. And yet, he wasn't himself. He hadn't been himself in months. Not since—

Naruto's voice cut into his introspective thoughts. "Why haven't you asked me what's wrong with me yet?"

Sasuke froze, unsure if he wanted to reveal the extent of his knowledge just yet. He settled with a shrug. Naruto seemed content to leave it at that. Silence was allowed to reign for a few more seconds before Sasuke curious enough to break it. "Why haven't you asked me?"

Naruto didn't look up from Kiba's resting head as he calmly replied, "You would tell me if you wanted me to know." Sasuke nodded. He appreciated Naruto's consideration more than he would ever know. He was incredibly tired of being treated like a bomb that was about to explode, especially when he didn't feel like anything was wrong with him.

"I don't like being treated like I'm crazy either," the blonde's voice invading his thoughts once again. Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was now holding his gaze steadily.

"None of us do." Sasuke ruffled a bit. "Have I treated you that way?" he asked, irritated.

There was a long pause before Naruto slowly nodded. "Kiba is too...young to have paid attention, but you treated him like that. You stared at him like you were afraid, like you couldn't figure out if he was going to jump on you. You condemned him with your eyes." Sasuke glanced hastily down at Kiba and nearly sighed in relief to find him sleeping. Closing his eyes, he leaned back until he was fully reclined against the padded floor. Then he did something that further proved he was not acting as himself.

"I'm sorry." Several minutes passed in comfortable stillness. Sasuke felt the floor shift slightly at his side and heard a sigh coming from somewhere near his head. Turning his head and opening his eyes, he found Naruto laying quietly beside him. He looked back to the white ceiling. "Your room is awfully bare."

Naruto smiled mildly. "I'm not really allowed to have much in here." Sasuke closed his eyes again, this time in disbelief at his own stupidity. Of course Naruto couldn't have other things in his room.

"It's okay. If I get bored then I go out in the common room and do stuff out there. It's not so bad." Sasuke looked to his left to see clouded cerulean eyes staring back at him. Something in his stomach lurched at the sight, something he couldn't quite name.

"Why do you force your happiness?" he asked quietly. Naruto, true to form, gave him a soft smile in response, but didn't look him in the eye. "I have no other choice."

Sasuke frowned slightly, but Naruto cut in before he could reply. "Tell me, Sasuke, is your anger fulfilling?"

Sasuke's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm not angry." Naruto snorted softly. "What? I'm not angry!" Naruto rolled over on his side and stared deeply at Sasuke.

"There is anger in your eyes, Sasuke. In time you will realize that it is there, inside you."

Sasuke looked back at the blonde, puzzled. "I don't feel angry," he whispered. "I don't feel anything anymore." Naruto waited for some sort of explanation but Sasuke had fallen silent, eyes vacantly scanning the carpet. His eyes then suddenly snapped up and Naruto saw the mask of apathy slide back into place. Sasuke didn't know what had come over him. Something about the boy next to him invited confidence, which should have felt safe and secure but instead scared him. His mind had started to go to a place he really never wanted to explore.

Kiba awoke with a start, jolting upright to a sitting position, causing Naruto to rise as well. Kiba saw Sasuke and stared.

"Why is he here?" he asked Naruto in his trademark loud whisper.

"We were talking Kiba," Naruto said, patting his back. "You fell asleep."

But Kiba wasn't listening to Naruto. He crawled over between Sasuke and Naruto cautiously, glancing at both quickly when he settled down. He slowly, as if testing the waters, laid his head down on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke stiffened, feeling that rooted sense of fear at the boy's closeness. But he could feel Naruto's eyes on him, expectant. He relaxed his shoulder slowly, watching Kiba carefully.

Kiba lifted his head quickly, wrinkled his nose at Sasuke, and let himself fall onto Naruto's lap again, deciding that apparently, Naruto was much cooler.

A head poked its way through the open doorway. "Outdoor break," Shikamaru called softly, nodding to the door.

The quickness with which Kiba got to his feet and ran for the door shocked Sasuke. He had barely seen the boy, who had just been sleeping, disappear. He must have made a noise, because Naruto laughed warmly, standing and helping Sasuke to his feet. "He's fast."

Outdoor break, Sasuke learned, was a 30 minute time period where they were turned loose in a fenced courtyard. The sun glowed softly in the sky, and Sasuke was reminded that hadn't been outside in a day and a half. He felt a slight breeze tug at his clothes, and he unconsciously closed his eyes and softly sighed. He slouched to the grass, sitting cross-legged, savoring the breeze and the coolness of the grass.

Nearby, Naruto found a Frisbee and began a game of catch with Kiba. Sasuke watched with an amused smile as Naruto would pass a soft, sailing pass to Kiba, who would catch it and fling it as hard as he could, resulting in the Frisbee going everywhere but Naruto's outstretched hands. After only a few minute, Naruto was out of breath from constantly chasing the flying disc.

Shikamaru and Neji sat by the wall, next to the door. Shikamaru had some makeshift chalk and was scratching some formula on the wall and Neji absently tossed small rocks against the wall.

Naruto sat next to Sasuke with a thud, out of breath but boasting a grin on his face. "That kid, I tell ya," he said, jerking a thumb in Kiba's direction. He let himself fall back onto his back, folding his arms behind his head. He could have passed as a normal kid…

Meanwhile, Kiba was entertaining himself with the Frisbee. He tossed it straight up a few times, experimenting with different ways to throw it. He closed his eyes and spun around quickly, releasing the Frisbee after several rotations.

A grunt was heard. "Stop it Kiba."

Kiba opened his eyes (and wavered on his feet a bit from the dizziness) to see Neji rubbing his head. The Frisbee landed at his feet when Neji threw it, the Neji turned back to throwing rocks. A devilish look took over Kiba's face. He wasn't used to getting a reaction out of the Hyuuga. He giggled to himself and he flung the Frisbee again, this time narrowly missing the pale eyed boys head as it bounced off the wall. The glare he received almost scared him. Almost.

Neji stood up and stalked towards the boy, looking very pissed off. He slammed the Frisbee into Kiba's chest.

"Don't throw this at me again," he ground out, his voice venomous.

Naruto heard this and sat up, watching the scene with a concerned look, causing Sasuke to look too. Kiba frowned, sticking his tongue out at the retreating form before him. He whipped back and the Frisbee flew towards the Hyuuga, hitting him square in the back of the neck, just as Neji had reached the wall.

Neji spun around so fast Sasuke almost missed it and he ran at the brown haired boy. "You fucking little…"

Naruto was up and running towards the scene, calling out to Kiba to move. He stood between the charging boy and his victim, holding his arms out. "Neji calm down-"

Neji caulked his fist back, prepared to take Naruto out to reach Kiba in his mad fury. Sasuke felt his heart clench with fear. Naruto was going to get hurt. He felt his legs move of their own accord towards the scene, in an attempt to protect the blonde boy.

Neji's fist stopped inches away from Naruto's face. Shikamaru had grabbed his arm by the elbow and stopped it. Neji yanked his arm away and prepared again to swing, but Shikamaru spun him around quickly, grabbing onto Neji's upper arms.

"Calm down Neji. Jesus..." Shika hissed, restraining the boy who finally stopped struggling and let out a controlled breath.

Sasuke was by Naruto's side in an instant. Naruto was rubbing Kiba's back, who was cowering in fear, soothingly and looked up at Sasuke with wide eyes.

Sasuke let out a breath; Naruto wasn't hurt. "I can't believe…he was actually going to hurt you!"

Naruto helped Kiba to his feet, whispering calmly to him.

"He…" Sasuke stuttered, trying to calm his racing heart. "He looked like he was going to kill you."

Naruto froze and looked at the ground for a moment. Then he looked back up at Sasuke with his bright blue eyes back to normal. "We should go inside now."

Sasuke nodded and he followed the two boys to the door. Naruto pressed a button under a speaker and spoke into it,

"We're ready to come in."

His voice was his usual cheerful tone, completely defying their previous situation.

Neji had shaken off Shikamaru angrily, still fuming silently. Shikamaru let out a sigh and talked to Neji in a low voice, trying to sooth him, sending wary glances towards Kiba and Naruto.

By the time a nurse arrived to escort them in, Neji had calmed down and things seemed back to normal, save for a slightly tense atmosphere. They filed inside single file after the nurse, who led them to their rooms.

Sasuke stared at the back of Naruto's head as they walked, wondering why his heart had jumped so when he saw the boy in danger…

The rest of the day passed in a relative calm. By the time dinner had been brought into the common room, any tension had passed. The boys ate in silence, Sasuke once again noticing Shika transferring his mushrooms to Neji's tray. After dinner, they all remained in the room, entertaining themselves.

Naruto and Kiba were sitting in the corner coloring. Sasuke watched as Naruto whispered "go!" and both he and Kiba covered their eyes with a hand and started drawing. After a few seconds, Kiba had his fingers splayed and was peering through them, tongue sticking out in concentration. Naruto finished his drawing and, taking his hand away from his eyes, gasped as he caught Kiba peeking.

"You're cheating!" he pointed an accusing finger at his younger companion.

Kiba hastily shut his eyes and tried to look innocent but Naruto ripped his piece of paper out of his hand.

At Kiba's whimper Naruto replaced it with a clean sheet and said, "One more time. _No cheating._" Kiba nodded quickly, dutifully covering his eyes. Naruto whispered "go!" and this time watched Kiba as he drew his picture without peeking.

Kiba opened his eyes and held up his sheet of paper in jubilation. "I win! You're not done yet!" Naruto just laughed. Sasuke was amazed at the patience Naruto seemed to possess. He turned back to the television, trying to concentrate on the movie that was playing. Once again he was distracted, this time by frantic whispers.

Neji and Shikamaru were standing over by the door of Neji's room, Neji's hand on the door handle and Shikamaru grasping Neji's forearm, trying to drag him back to the common room. Neji saw Sasuke watching them and shot him a death glare, to which Sasuke quickly turned his head. So much for no one here hating him yet...

Sasuke returned his stare to the TV but kept listening, trying to hear what the two were arguing about. He heard what may have been a "leave me ALONE!" before the door opened and then slammed shut. He braved a glance to find Shika standing in front of the closed door shaking his head and muttering something. Shika walked back to the couch and plopped down beside Sasuke with a loud sigh. The two watched the movie in silence.

Suddenly Sasuke heard a whimper behind him and he turned to look at Kiba, who was now sitting by himself halfway through a picture. Naruto was striding purposefully toward Neji's room, a focused look glossed over his face. Even Kiba's whiny "Naruuutoooooo!" wasn't enough to turn him around. Sasuke watched him open Neji's door without knocking and slip inside, a strange feeling of foreboding washing over him.

Shika watched this as well in puzzlement. In only a matter of seconds Neji rushed out of the room and into Shikamaru's. Shika hastily rose from the couch and rushed to his bedroom only to almost crash into Neji exiting, grasping something balled up in his fist. Before Shika could say anything, Neji shoved him backwards, sending him sprawling to the carpet, and sprinted back into his own bedroom slamming the door behind him.

Shikamaru rose unsteadily from the floor and stared at the door with alarmed eyes. Sasuke was so confused. What was going on? Then he heard a sickening thud come from the bedroom and saw Shika sprint to the door of the common room and slam a red button on the wall beside it.

It was only when he saw the nurses come sprinting in, rushing into Neji's bedroom that he realized what was going on behind the closed door.

'Naruto…!'

**OoOo.**

**Cliffy! So, I want to thank all of you who reviewed. It means a lot to me and mirandler43. Next chapter will be a shocker with hard-hitting stuff. So, if you liked it, let me know.**

**Thanks all.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Again, this chapter is a collaboration of KandKL and mirandler43.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its characters. If I did, the boys would be getting it on. And ninja uniform would be no uniform.**

**Warnings: As said before, this rating has been upped to Mature, for this chapter's darker content, especially at the beginning. If you can't handle darker themes, please don't read anymore. Its not that bad, but I want to be safe, so no one is offended. **

**A note to reviewers: **

**KandKL: Both mirandler43 and I dislike reviews that command us to "Update super quickly". We are trying our best, and it feels rude to us to be pushed. And, I am requesting that use narutmania no longer review our story, since their last review was rude and obnoxious.**

**Mirandler43: There's a difference between encouragement and demands. Hopefully no one but the person mentioned will take this personally. We love input and any comments you want to give us! Just please don't tell us that we're taking too long to update when we're posting new chapters every week at the most. And we do want to thank everyone who _has_ taken the time to review. We are always so excited whenever we get a new one!**

**That is all, read on!**

**OoOo.**

**

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Shikamaru rose unsteadily from the floor and stared at the door with alarmed eyes. Sasuke was so confused. What was going on? Then he heard a sickening thud come from the bedroom and saw Shika sprint to the door of the common room and slam a red button on the wall beside it.

It was only when he saw the nurses come sprinting in, rushing into Neji's bedroom that he realized what was going on behind the closed door.

'Naruto…!'

The nurses were frantic, pounding on the door while the head nurse finally managed to open the door, causing them to flood in. By this time, Sasuke, Shika and Kiba were at the door too. A quiet gasp came from one of them, they weren't quite sure who. The scene before them made Sasuke's stomach clench painfully and his heart to leap to his throat.

Naruto was on his knees, his head pressed harshly on the wall (which had a small stain of blood trickling down), his arms hanging loosely at his sides. Neji had his knee pressed down on Naruto's back, his hands holding a thin spring which was wrapped around Naruto's throat, pulling back harshly, choking him. Naruto saw the nurses and his eyes widened; caught with the proverbial hand in the cookie jar. Through the shouts of the nurses and the crying of Kiba, a single sound entered Sasuke's ear: the raspy, slow breaths coming from Naruto. Perhaps his last.

Nurses were throwing their weight against Neji, trying to loosen the wire around the boy's neck. Neji was a perfect picture of concentration as he ignored them and focused on the task at hand, clenching his fists around the spring and pulling up harder.

A group of nurses and doctors flooded into the room, forcing Sasuke and the others back away from the door as they entered the room with frantic faces. There were no words to describe Sasuke's panic. He could feel his blood racing, his adrenaline nearly sending him through the roof. Naruto was going to die.

He found that Shikamaru was already back at the door, staring in with terrified eyes.

"Neji!" Shikamaru charged into the room, only to be shoved out roughly by a burly doctor.

Sasuke made it to the door just in time to see Neji slump to the floor, unconscious, a syringe sticking out of his shoulder. In time with Neji, Naruto also collapsed in a heap.

"NEJI!" Shikamaru was frantic, scrambling against the doctor restraining him.

"I need oxygen in here!" a panicked call echoed from the room. "He's not breathing…"

On cue, two stretchers were brought in and set in the common room. Several nurses exited Neji's room, cradling a lifeless Naruto between them, hurriedly placing him on the stretcher. An oxygen mask was strapped to his face and he was quickly wheeled out of the room. A line of nurses trailed after them, leaving only few behind to lift the unconscious Neji onto the other stretcher, the wire still clamped in his fingers.

Shikamaru watched in shock as Neji was wheeled out of the room. The door slammed shut loudly, causing them all to flinch. Sasuke realized that he was trembling and he fell to the floor in a heap. He felt a weight on his arm and realized that Kiba was holding on to it like a vice. He heard Shikamaru fall against a wall behind him, and they sat there for a few moments, shaking with adrenaline and fear.

"Naruto…"

Sasuke was having trouble getting his heart from his throat. Kiba still held on to his arm, looking up at Sasuke's face like a lost puppy.

"Kiba…it's ok," his voice croaked as he spoke, still trying to get his pulse to settle. His arm stroked Kiba gently in an effort to imitate a Naruto-like gesture.

In response to his words, Kiba scrambled gracelessly into Sasuke's lap, curling up into a ball, small whimpers escaping him. He wrapped his arms fully around the shaking boy's frame, Kiba's tears causing him to well up. He squeezed Kiba tightly, letting out a shaky breath and closing his eyes.

Shikamaru stood a few feet away, staring at the wall with wide eyes; his shoulders slouched as he leaned heavily against the wall. The scene was flashing over and over in his mind; Neji falling to the ground with a sickening thud.

Sasuke could feel the damp of Kiba's tears trickling down his neck as Kiba clung to him. He struggled to get his feet below him, and pushed himself to a standing position, Kiba held in his arms. Sasuke noticed how alarmingly light Kiba was as he carried the crying boy to his room. He left the door open and approached Kiba's bed. He gently set him down amidst the mess off blankets and sheets, prying the boys arms from around his neck.

Kiba curled into a ball when Sasuke covered him with his white blanket. Sasuke patted his shoulder softly and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Shikamaru was no longer in the common room, and Sasuke saw the door to his room slightly ajar. He knocked quietly, opening the door slowly when he got no response. He found Shikamaru pacing in his room at a restless pace. Shika didn't even look up when he heard Sasuke enter. Sasuke decided to be direct:

"Shikamaru…why was Neji placed here?"

This stopped Shikamaru's pacing. He turned and looked at Sasuke with eyes so reading, searching. He seemed to decide it was alright to trust him, because he sat on the bed with a sigh and Sasuke followed suit.

"Two years ago, Neji was admitted to a low level mental hospital for depression. The set up was much like here, they had roommates. Neji's was a depressed individual, and suicidal too. Their room was like Naruto's, leaving no chance for the boy to kill himself, so he asked Neji to help…and Neji did. Or tried too. God…the accident today was so much like it" he murmured, fingering the hole in his mattress from which the spring had been ripped.

"They caught him and he was sent to a juvenile detention facility. But, he closed in on himself and refused to communicate with anyone. Fearing for his mental safety, they put him here. Their idea was radical, not to mention dangerous. They were going to try and rehabilitate him by putting him back into social situations, that being, living with us."

Sasuke was shocked. He'd been living with a killer and he didn't even know. "That's so dangerous…"

Shikamaru nodded. "If you haven't noticed, all of us that live here are orphans. The state has control of what happens to us. So, when the hospital _insisted _that all safety precautions had been taken, the papers were signed and they moved him here." Shikamaru had a reminiscing look in his eye as he continued. "At first, he wouldn't talk, he wouldn't do anything. But eventually…we got to know each other…" Shikamaru's voice trailed off as he stared at his hands. He suddenly looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze. "They had him so heavily medicated…they thought it was impossible for him to get those thoughts into his mind."

Shikamaru bit his lip to force back a whimper.

"He…won't be coming back."

The pain in Shikamaru's eyes was too intense for Sasuke, who dropped his gaze almost immediately. He wasn't really sure what to do. He wanted to comfort Shikamaru but his mind kept racing over all the times Neji had spoken to him insolently or had thrown a threatening glance his way. Who knew how long it would have been before Neji had tried something on him? Neji didn't even seem to mind Naruto and yet—

"Neji is not a killer," said Shikamaru, bringing Sasuke's rather selfish train of thought to a screeching halt. "I don't know what Naruto could have said to convince him to...act as he did. But I know that he isn't a murderer by nature." Sasuke could only nod. Shika took a deep shuddering breath. "There must be something the doctor's haven't figured out yet, some kind of trigger..." He abruptly stood up and resumed his agitated pacing. Sasuke watched the boy tensely drum his fingers against the legs of his pants as he walked back and forth across the room.

Shikamaru turned to Sasuke. "How long has Naruto been here?" he asked tersely.

"I-I'm not sure," Sasuke stuttered.

"Long time. And Neji's been here longer." More frantic pacing, further drumming of fingers. "This should have happened before now!" he exclaimed as though he had just discovered something. "Which means something has changed..."

Sasuke looked on in stunned silence. Shikamaru had now opted for tapping his temple insistently and adopted a faster pace. Sasuke was waiting for holes to appear in the carpet. Shikamaru kept muttering almost incoherently, then stopped moving so quickly that Sasuke jumped. With eyes narrowed suspiciously, he turned to face the innumerable equations scrawled on wall.

"It must be Neji. They must have changed something in his treatment."

Sasuke shuffled his feet. "Um...wouldn't he have told you that?"

Shikamaru whirled to regard whatever poor soul had dared to disagree with his logic. Sasuke visibly withered. "It's just that you two seemed really close. Wouldn't he have mentioned--"

"No. Neji isn't exactly loose-lipped. Or they changed it without telling him..."

Sasuke was growing uncomfortable with Shikamaru's slightly paranoid conclusions. But who wouldn't be upset if their...special someone...could very well be never seen again? Maybe this was just Shikamaru's way of dealing with the situation.

"Get out." Shika's low, almost menacing growl took Sasuke by surprise. He glanced in worry at Shikamaru, who was now glaring at the open door. Deciding it best to just leave the boy alone, Sasuke quickly made his way through the door and closed it softly behind him.

Sasuke shook his head forcefully. Of course Shikamaru was acting strangely. He had just lost his best friend. And really, it wasn't any of Sasuke's business how Shika chose to behave anyway. With that thought firmly placed in his mind, Sasuke strode purposefully into his own bedroom, which was still rather bare. A few pieces of paper lay scattered on a desk in the corner and some socks were peeking out of the top of a suitcase at the foot of the bed, but the room was otherwise plain and orderly. Sasuke plopped down heavily on the bed and laid his head down on the pillow. Before he could even lift his feet from the floor he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Blood. He could smell it. 

Sasuke's eyes flickered open quickly, and he leapt out of bed. His shirt, his room…all was drenched in blood. He coughed, wiping the slimy substance form his face with the back of his hand as he ventured forward fearfully. The floor was slick, and he had to hold on to the wall to keep upright. He reached the door and called,

"H-hello?"

Everything was black, except for the blood. That stood out with frightening clarity against the dark backdrop.

He slowly made his way across the room, groping at the walls as he went. He saw something glint on a corner, and he made his way towards it. Oh god, the smell…it was so intense that he could barely breathe.

He reached the corner and fell to his hands and knees to fumble around for the object that had caught the light (from where, he didn't know). He felt a sharp pain on his palm as he grasped the object,

'A knife…'

and the knife sliced open a wound. He could feel the blood seeping out and mingling with that on the floor. Something to his left caught his attention, a pair of feet standing a few feet away. His breath caught in his throat as he felt a blade pressed closely to his throat, hot breath of another tingling down his neck. He was frozen in place, his heart hammering in his chest. He heard their mouth open to speak, but all he heard was a quiet, distant whimpering.

Confused, he tried to raise his head, only to have it forced down again, followed by more whimpers.

He could feel the cold as the covers were inched off him slowly-wait, what?

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, to see Kiba at the end of his bed, gripping his blanket tightly in his fisted hands, his soft mewls coming from deep within his throat. Sasuke blinked a few times focusing on Kiba as his dream began to wear off. Kiba was staring at him, tears brimming his eyes.

"Kiba" Sasuke grunted quietly, sitting up in his bed. "What...?"

Kiba didn't move from his spot, but his whimpers subsided a bit. Sasuke swallowed a cough and patted the spot on the bed next to him as he swung his feet over the edge. Kiba paused for a moment before shuffling quietly and sitting down. Sasuke leaned his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands, trying to separate reality from the horrible dream he had been having. Kiba sat next to him quietly, waiting for him to lift his head. Sasuke felt him shift and he raised his head, letting out a sigh.

Kiba leaned on him softly, closing his eyes as he did so. Sasuke felt curling up in a ball and closing out the world. When had everything gone so wrong?

Just that morning, things had been perfect (well...it's all relative). Naruto had been back, and everything had seemed...right.

But now, now Naruto was gone. The one thing that Sasuke had begun to care about in this new reality had been torn away from him. He didn't even know if Naruto was alive. He had heard nothing from the doctors in the hours since the accident. His hope had begun to fade.

This is exactly what had happened last time too. He had found himself somewhere he belonged and the ones who had accepted him had been ripped away.

His memories and his dream ran together in his mind as he replayed them over and over again.

"It's light outside" he heard Kiba comment softly beside him. Kiba played with the hem of his blanket between his fingertips.

"Yeah?" Sasuke let out wearily. He must have slept for a few hours for it to be morning already. He felt Kiba shift again, the boy's ADHD showing even then, when he was tired.

"Are you okay, Kiba?" Sasuke asked, his hand resting atop Kiba's.

In the back of his mind, he wondered when he had developed the maternal instincts that he had been showing in the last few hours. The boy used to frighten him, and now? He felt responsible for him and, surprisingly, he harbored no ill will towards Kiba like he thought he would have.

"Is Naruto okay?" Kiba's voice was a weary whisper but laced with concern and above all, confusion.

"I don't know, Kiba."

_I don't know.

* * *

_  
Kiba and Sasuke sat on the chairs in the common room, their cereal bowls sitting empty on their laps. Shika sat on the floor a few feet away from them on the floor staring at his cereal with a wide, wary eye. He hadn't taken a bite yet and he was glaring at the bowl with one eye slightly narrowed. He poked it occasionally, but he made no move whatsoever to eat it.

Sasuke watched this with slight concern. The boy was acting very weird. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed with confusion as a flake of bran shifted in Shikamaru's bowl, causing the boy to jump visibly, then to glare even more venomously, his face inches away from the bowl.

Sasuke half expected the bowl to burst into flame from the constant glower.

Kiba sat beside him, spoon hanging out of his mouth as he watched his roommate with a look of suspicion.

"Shikamaru...you aren't going to eat?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

Shikamaru's head snapped up and his eyes met Sasuke's. "Hah. Just because they got you to eat it doesn't mean that I'm that dumb!" A frighteningly high pitched laugh followed this.

Kiba's eyes were as wide as saucers at this point. He reached over and yanked on Sasuke's sleeve harshly, looking from Sasuke to Shikamaru and back at Sasuke. Sasuke gave him what he hoped what was a reassuring look but deep down he felt the same way.

Shikamaru seemed to be falling off the proverbial deep end.

Just as Sasuke moved to gather his and Kiba's bowls, the door to the hall opened and a nurse walked in. Styrofoam bowls fell to the ground and Sasuke and Kiba stood, watching her.

"Naruto is stable," she said with a slight smile.

Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Naruto was alright, he was alright. Sasuke felt Kiba's stare on his face, a confused expression on his young face.

"Naruto is okay, Kiba," he said, letting a small smile appear on his face at Kiba's reaction. The boy face split in a huge grin and he let out a happy squeal, bouncing up and down slightly.

"Shika, Naruto is OKAY!" Kiba hollered happily, facing the boy who still sat on the floor.

Shikamaru hadn't moved from his spot on the floor, but he was watching them with an angry expression. He didn't seem moved by the information at all; if anything, he was angered by it.

"And Neji?" he hissed at the nurse.

An uncomfortable look crossed her face and she frowned. "He's being held in custody. There will be a hearing today to decide his future."

Shikamaru's glare fell to his food again, a soft grunt escaping his lips. Sasuke turned his attention back to the nurse as did Kiba (who still had a slight up-down motion as his legs bounced). Sasuke's smile disappeared and a solemn look settled in his face.

"I want to see him."

The nurse looked uncomfortable again. "Well...that's not allowed. He's under strict supervision and they don't want him under any stress right now."

"I want to see him." Sasuke repeated, this time with more force. He had spent the last half of a day fearing for Naruto. He had to make sure the boy was fine.

"I'm afraid that's just not-,"

"I WANNA SEE HIM TOO!" Kiba screamed as he jumped up and down, his hand raised above his head.

The nurse's eyes widened.

Sasuke grabbed Kiba harshly, effectively halting his hopping. His gaze fell to the nurse again. "Let us see him."

The nurse looked at them carefully. The brunette boy had such an expression of hope on his face as he tried to stay still. The black haired boy watched her with firm eyes, a glimmer of concern below the surface.

"Alright...but you boys have to be quiet!"

"Yay!" Kiba would have jumped again except for the fact that Sasuke was still restraining him.

As the nurse opened the door and ushered them into the hall, Sasuke whispered in Kiba's ear, "You need to calm down right now. If you are too loud, we can't see Naruto."

Kiba nodded quickly and he visibly calmed himself. The nurse locked the door behind them and then she led the down the hall to the stairs. They walked in silence for a few minutes, crossing through countless halls and doorways. Finally, they arrived at their destination. The whole left wing (they were housed on the right wing) of the building was a running hospital, bustling with nurses and doctors.

"Follow closely," she instructed, weaving her way through corridors expertly.

Sasuke grabbed Kiba's hand and lengthened his stride to keep up with her. They reached a quiet, almost empty hallway and the nurse slowed.

"We're here," she said softly. "Be quiet, boys."

They both nodded and followed her as she approached a nurse sitting outside of a closed door. Sasuke's eyes roved the door before them.

_Naruto..._

The nurse guarding the door gave both Sasuke and Kiba wary looks as their nurse explained their situation to her. She paused, but nodded in the end, unlocking the door and glancing at Sasuke.

"Don't get him too wound up. If his heart rate rises, you're out of here. He's in a very fragile state."

Sasuke nodded and opened the door, stepping through and pulling Kiba after him. Naruto's head lifted when he heard the door, and when he saw who it was, his grin almost matched Kiba's.

"Naruto!" Kiba yelled, bounding to the bed and sitting on the chair next to it. He sat on the very edge of the seat, leaning towards Naruto with shining eyes. Naruto reached out a hand and took Kiba's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"How are you, Kiba?"

He let out a small squeal and nodded quickly. He seemed unable to form words, he was so happy. He opened his mouth a few times but he could only make sounds of joy as he watched Naruto with wide eyes.

"I missed you, Kiba," Naruto said, a soft smile crossing his face.

Tears began to brim Kiba's eyes and he whimpered slightly. Naruto made a comforting sound and reached out and ruffled Kiba's hair affectionately. Kiba leaned into it like an affectionate puppy.

"Missed you too," Kiba squeaked, looking up into Naruto' eyes with a solemn look.

Sasuke watched this from where he stood at the door. It seemed his time as Kiba's surrogate mother had ended. He was surprised that he wasn't more relieved.

They continued to talk for the next few minutes, mostly about what Kiba had done in the hours Naruto had been absent. Naruto listened with genuine interest, nodding every few minutes. Kiba continued to talk in a relatively sedate tone until his eyelids began to droop. He slumped forward as he fell asleep. Naruto gave him an affectionate smile and leaned back.

A nurse entered and gently shook Kiba. He awoke slowly, his eyes fluttering slowly open.

"Kiba, you should go back to your room and take a nap."

"Nooo..." Kiba protested weakly as she pulled him to his feet. "I want to stay here."

"It's okay, Kiba, you'll see me later alright? Go and take a nap," Naruto said, giving him a reassuring look.

Kiba pouted, but he followed the nurse out all the same, giving one last look to Naruto before the door closed. Sasuke wasn't really sure what to do with himself then. He stood staring at the closed door until Naruto's voice startled him out of his apparent listlessness.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke swung his head in Naruto's direction. Naruto gestured to the chair beside the bed, recently vacated by Kiba. "Come here." Sasuke wasn't sure what it was about Naruto that made him obey. All he knew was that if it had been anyone else he would have at least afforded a moment for an arrogant smirk.

Sasuke sat down in the chair and stared at his knees. He could only fidget with the hem of his shorts for so long before the semi-awkward silence got to him. "So...how-how are you?"

Naruto laughed softly. "I've been better. How are you doing, Sasuke?"

Sasuke just shrugged. "It's been kind of boring with you and Neji gone. It's awfully quiet. Shika just keeps...muttering...and stuff."

"How's Kiba doing?"

Sasuke's head shot up to stare at Naruto. The boy was looking serenely back at him, seemingly unaware of the beeping machines surrounding him. Sasuke's eyes fell to the thick bandaging gauze wrapped around Naruto's neck and suddenly all he could see was Neji, forcefully pulling that stretched spring around Naruto's neck with that horribly purposeful look on his face. Sasuke's stare rapidly became a glare.

"You're stuck here, like _this_, and all you can think about is _Kiba_? What's wrong with—"

"Sasuke! Relax!" Naruto interrupted Sasuke, whose voice was swiftly escalating in volume.

Sasuke's glare took on more intensity. "_Relax_!

"Yes! Relax!"

"I'm serious Naruto!"

"So am I, Sasuke," said Naruto quickly, with a hint of frustration in his voice. "I'm still here. I'm okay!" Sasuke's eyes fell to the bandaging on Naruto's neck. Naruto craned his neck down to catch his eye again. "I'm okay, Sasuke," Naruto said softly. "Really."

Sasuke sighed and looked back to his knees. "But...but what if Shikamaru hadn't pushed the alarm? What if the doctors hadn't gotten there in time?" Sasuke played with the hem once more. "What if you had...had..." he seemed to choke on his words, unable to say them. "What if Neji had succeeded?"

Naruto looked pointedly at Sasuke. "But Neji didn't succeed."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Sasuke looked around the room nervously. "So...what have you been doing? I mean, are you bored?"

Naruto laughed inwardly at the obvious attempt at change of subject. "Not much, really. I was out for a few hours after they brought me here, and then the doctors had to run a bunch of tests. And then I pretty much just sit here. There's no tv or anything. It pretty much sucks."

Sasuke nodded. Yeah, that _would_ suck. "What would they need to test?"

Naruto sighed. "I don't know. They've already done it all already. I should be used to it by now." Sasuke detected a hint of frustration in Naruto's voice, the first time he had ever heard any impatience on Naruto's part, especially regarding his condition. "Except it's twice as much now. I guess they want to get as much data as they can as close to the attempts as possible."

Sasuke nodded again, not really sure what to say to that. Fortunately Naruto saved him.

"So, how is Kiba doing, really?"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. "I think he'll be alright now, since he got to see you. He acted kind of lost and was actually pretty clingy."

"Haven't you ever seen him with me?" asked Naruto.

"Well, yes, but he's never given me the time of day. But I guess his only choices were me and Shikamaru, and, well, Shikamaru never really was the affectionate type, much less now."

Naruto looked puzzled. "What do you mean, now?"

Sasuke reclined a little more and propped his feet up on Naruto's bed. "He's been acting a little...strange ever since you and Neji left. He keeps saying things about Neji's doctors changing his treatment without telling him, and he wouldn't eat his cereal this morning either. He's starting to act really distrusting, even towards Kiba."

Naruto shrugged. "I suppose with Neji's leaving, Shika's schizophrenia was triggered."

Sasuke stared at Naruto. "Schizophrenia? Shikamaru's a schizo?"

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Yes, he is. He's been pretty good lately. I think he got some new meds. Anyways, it must have been the shock that caused him to relapse. There's not really any other explanation."

More silence.

Sasuke looked back to his hem, which was by now slightly frayed. "Naruto? What exactly happened with you and Neji?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his bed, glancing down distractedly at his sheets. Then, squaring his shoulders, he looked back to the boy in the chair.

"I knew I would have to eventually tell you what my problem is. I just didn't expect to have to quite so soon." Naruto took a deep breath but before he could jump in to whatever explanation he had in mind, Sasuke held up a hand to stop him.

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes."

Naruto looked baffled. "How?"

"Shikamaru showed me your folder," Sasuke admitted.

Naruto's gaze fell to his lap, embarrassed. Not only did Sasuke know his problem, he knew details that Naruto would have never planned on telling Sasuke in the first place. His cheeks burned at the thought of what Sasuke must have seen in that file.

Sasuke watched Naruto's silent discomfort, desperately wanting to say something to get that look off of his face but his mind drawing a blank. Before he knew it he was on his feet and standing next to the bed. Naruto looked up at him with wide eyes but, startled by what he had seen in Sasuke's face, quickly averted his gaze, cheeks flaming further. Sasuke had looked at him with such unabashed intensity. Naruto hadn't known Sasuke for very long but he knew enough to know that not many people had been graced with that much attention from the Uchiha boy.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered for the second time in a day.

Naruto's eyes jerked back up to Sasuke, a glint of anger showing itself. "Don't pity me," he hissed.

"I'm no--"

"How would you feel if the roles had been reversed, if you were the one in here and I was the one who had read symptoms and medications and notes that only other doctors are supposed to see? You have no idea how mortifying this is." Naruto fastened his eyes on his toes at the end of the bed. "This isn't even fair. You get to know every detail about my problem and I don't know anything about you at all!"

Sasuke hastily grabbed Naruto's wrist. "I'm sorry," he repeated, silently wondering at how easy it was becoming to say that phrase, considering he had never said it any other time of his life.

Naruto suddenly looked back at Sasuke with trepidation. "What exactly did you see?"

Sasuke hesitated. Naruto pressed him, "What?"

"Just...stuff. Like you said, symptoms..."

Naruto's eyes widened. "No, you saw more. You're an awful liar, Uchiha."

Sasuke almost did a double-take at the insult (he for one considered himself excellent at fooling people, but whatever) but remained focused on the problem at hand.

"...pictures."

Naruto's mouth dropped open in horror. He hastily wrenched his hand from Sasuke's grasp and bent forward to cradle his head in his hands. Sasuke quickly reached over and grabbed the wrist again, trying to tug it away, but Naruto resisted, causing Sasuke's grip to slip and the hand to slap back into Naruto face. Sasuke's hands flew to cover his mouth.

_Oh shit._

Naruto peeked out at Sasuke from between his fingers. Sasuke winced at the glare he was receiving. "So now you're hitting me?"

Sasuke dropped his hands. "I didn't hit you!"

"Yes you did!"

"I did _not_! That was _your hand_!"

Naruto snorted, which coming from behind his hands ended up sounding like a nasally congested hippo. "Yeah, well, my hand wouldn't have hit my face if you hadn't _manhandled_ me!"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, who was now dropping his hands, his lips in a slight pout. Sasuke struggled to hide the smirk that frantically trying to surface. Naruto looked up at Sasuke and, much to Sasuke's chagrin, started to laugh softly. He managed to remain stoic for a whole three seconds before joining in.

Naruto leaned back in his bed, letting the last weak whimpers of laughter escape him. Sasuke remained standing beside his bed. With the remnants of a smile on his face he watched Naruto close his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said so softly that Sasuke almost didn't hear him.

"Why?"

Naruto frowned slightly. "I'm sorry that you had to see that folder, and everything inside...I wish I could have just told you." He looked up at Sasuke, who couldn't quite think of the right thing to say. Naruto shyly took Sasuke's hand in his. "Did it scare you?"

Several things flew through his mind, things he should say to make Naruto feel better or, more importantly, to hide his true thoughts. But before he could stop them, the pictures were flying before his eyes again and suddenly he was watching Neji focusing intently on killing Naruto. He blurted out the only thing he could think of.

"The only thing that scares me is the thought of something like that happening to you." Sasuke looked back at Naruto, whose cheeks were slightly red once again. Sasuke gripped Naruto's hand tightly. "What happened, Naruto?"

Naruto closed his eyes again. "I'm not sure. I was playing with Kiba and all of a sudden...it was like something took over. I was thinking of Neji, and how he had acted during the outdoor break yesterday, and...It's scary, Sasuke," he continued, opening his eyes again to look up at his friend. "It's really scary. Whenever it happens, I have no control. I can see everything, but it's like I'm watching as someone else uses me like a puppet."

Naruto took a shaky breath. "I walked into Neji's room and told him that...that I wanted to die, and I needed his help. God, I can't believe I used him like that!" Sasuke pulled Naruto's hand to his chest unconsciously. "Neji took control from there. He got some kind of wire or something and wrapped it arou--"

"Shh," Sasuke stopped him softly, worried at the increasing shakiness of Naruto's voice. He didn't know what he would do if Naruto started to cry. "You don't have to tell me. And you're right, it isn't fair that you don't know anything about me." Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "I would tell you if I knew anything, but I don't even know why I'm here. I don't even really know what my problem is."

Naruto just nodded. "It's okay, Sasuke. You will tell me when you want me to know."

Sasuke smiled softly. Naruto smiled back and closed his eyes once more, sighing quietly. Soon he was breathing deeply and steadily. Sasuke worried that he had tired him out. He stared at the bandaging on Naruto's neck lightly, a frown creasing his forehead. He sincerely hoped that Neji would not be returning because he wasn't sure he could let him escape this whole incident without punishment.

The sound of the door opening startled Sasuke out of his revengeful thoughts. The nurse who had brought him to Naruto's room bustled in and started to chastise loudly, which Sasuke swiftly interrupted with a few arm flails and frantic pointing at Naruto's sleeping form. The nurse stopped her yelling and with a resigned sigh quickly gestured for Sasuke to leave with her.

Sasuke took one last look at Naruto's now peaceful face, no hint of the previous conversation marring his innocent features. Brushing a stray blonde lock of hair out of the sleeping boy's eyes, he squeezed his hand once more and left the room with the nurse. He didn't marvel over his change in feelings toward Naruto, as he probably would have a few weeks ago. All he knew was that he never wanted to see Naruto in that much pain again.

He followed her out of the room. He eventually found himself in the common room, the nurse locking the door behind her. Sasuke approached Kiba's door and he could hear soft snores. He smiled and walked to his room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he saw his bed, he heard it calling to him. He sat down on the edge of his bed and he collapsed to the side, his eyes closing with exhaustion as his head hit the pillow.

He was out for two hours.

Sasuke drifted out of a sleep more peaceful than he had had in a long while. He sat up and ruffled his hair, taking in a deep breath. He sat for a few moments, letting the sleep wear off when he felt a presence in the room. His head swiveled towards the door and he felt his heart leap to his throat.

Shikamaru sat on a chair near his door, leaning onto his knees, staring at him.

"Uh..." Sasuke pulled the covers around himself self-consciously. "H-hey Shika."

"What did you say?"

The tone he used made Sasuke nervous.

"What do you mean Shikamaru...?"

Shikamaru sat up in his chair, his face serious. "What," he asked curtly, "did you say to them?"

"Shikamaru, I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke said softly, his eyebrows furrowing.

"What did you say to them? Those 'doctors' and 'nurses'," He made quotation marks with his hands as he talked.

"Umm, Shika? They're real doctors..."

Shikamaru snorted. "You don't want to talk? Fine." He stood, pushing his chair back and heading out the door. "I'm sure Kiba will have something to say."

Sasuke pushed himself out of bed quickly, grabbing Shikamaru's elbow to stop him. The dark intensity in Shikamaru's voice made him very nervous.

"Please leave him alone. He's finally asleep!" Sasuke pleaded, tugging in his elbow again.

To his alarm, Shikamaru broke free and strode purposefully towards Kiba's room.

"Shikamaru, stop!" Sasuke ran after him, managing to get into Kiba's room before Shikamaru did.

Sasuke stood between Kiba and Shikamaru, holding his hands out. "Just stop, please," Sasuke whispered fiercely.

The look on Shikamaru's face sent chills down Sasuke's spine.

"Since _you _won't talk, _he _will!" he said motioning to the sleeping boy behind Sasuke, his voice slightly raised.

"Please, shhh!" Sasuke hissed.

A grunt came from behind him and he heard Kiba sit up.

_Fuck._

"Sasuke...?" Kiba asked softly, rubbing the sleep from eyes and yawning.

"Kiba, what did you say to them?" Shikamaru demanded, stepping forward.

Sasuke stepped back and he felt the bed on the back of his knees.

"Shikamaru? Wha...?" Kiba trailed off quietly as he looked between the two boys.

Shikamaru clenched his jaw. "Enough bullshit. What the _hell _did you tell them?"

Sasuke felt a sudden wave of protectiveness as he felt Kiba move behind him. He felt the intensity in the room and he suddenly feared a repeat of yesterday.

"Shikamaru, you need to calm down." Sasuke ordered sternly.

Sasuke saw a vein in Shikamaru's forehead pulse with anger.

A voice from the door made them all jump.

"Shikamaru, time for your therapy-..." Ten Ten's voice trailed off as she saw the tense situation. "Boys...what's going on?"

"I'm not going," Shikamaru said, giving her a sharp glance.

Ten Ten frowned and approached him slowly. "But you have to..."

"I'm _not _going."

"Shikamaru, you know that therapy sessions are required here," she started, trying to understand the situation.

Shikamaru glared. "No. You can't make me!"

Ten Ten reached subtly to her belt and pressed a button. "Shikamaru," she tried again. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

He backed away from her quickly, the look of mistrust obvious on his face. His panic only increased when a nurse and Shizune walked through the door.

Shizune approached him slowly. "Shikamaru, what's wrong? You can trust me." Her advance was slow, and she talked in a soothing voice.

Sasuke felt Kiba holding onto his hand tightly from behind.

Shikamaru let out a loud laugh. "Trust you? _Trust_ you!" His back was against the wall and his eyes were narrowed.

"Shikamaru..." Shizune started. "Have you been taking your meds?"

Shikamaru panicked and lunged out towards Shizune, causing everyone to scream and jump back.

"Where is Neji!" Shikamaru demanded, his head swiveling around the room, his body in a crouch.

"He's being detained, Shikamaru, calm down!" Shizune said in a stern voice.

"What have you done to him? Where is he!" Shikamaru was screaming at this point.

Kiba was shaking against Sasuke's body as he watched the scene.

Shikamaru was pacing rapidly, shooting seething glares at everyone in the room.

"You will not take me-,"

Shikamaru never saw the nurse appear behind him and stick him with the needle. Shikamaru fell to the floor, with a sickening, all too familiar thud.

The nurses and Shizune laid Shikamaru's unconscious body out flat and checked him for injuries. Ten Ten grabbed Kiba and Sasuke by their arms and pulled them out of the room quickly. She led them into Sasuke's room and moved Kiba to sit on the bed.

"You two need to stay in here for a while, okay?" she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Sasuke pushed Kiba down onto the bed gently, pulling the covers over his body.

"Don't worry about it Kiba, just sleep," he murmured quietly.

"But...Shika..."

"Kiba stop. Don't worry about it, just sleep. Please," Sasuke said firmly.

Although in the back of his mind he was wondering if there was something wrong with the water, seeing as how people seemed to be dropping like flies, Sasuke could feel anger rising up in him. Shikamaru had put him, and Kiba, in danger. How could he do that, after all that had happened in the last few days? He watched Kiba protectively as the boy slept.

He realized slowly as he sat on the bed, that he and Kiba were the only two left...

* * *

The beeping was what woke him. Shikamaru's eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the dim light. He was in the hospital. _They _had put him there. His eyes shifted around the room quickly, noticing the rather obvious cameras around the room. The monitor beside him began to beep rapidly as his heart rate rose. 

_They _were responsible for this. They had taken Neji, and now they had him. His heart beat at an alarming rate as he surveyed the room, looking for possible escape. He heard stern talking outside our door and he tried to calm his racing heart and listen. The conversation was incoherent to Shikamaru, but he could tell the tone was serious. He heard some clinking too.

He heard the door open and his heart took off again as his head snapped up. He heard a ominous,

"We're watching. Remember."

A shadow appeared at the door and he saw a figure enter into the shadows. Shikamaru tensed, ready to evade his opponent if necessary. A voice from the figure froze his thoughts in their tracks.

"Shika," the voice said in a low, rumbling tone.

It was Neji.

Shikamaru let out a squeak of a breath and a quiet "Neji" as Neji quickly crossed the floor and pressed his lips against Shikamaru's urgently. Shikamaru responded, trying to ignore the tears running down his cheeks as his lips pressed against Neji's harshly, relishing in the feel of his presence and the smell of his hair.

Neji pulled back slowly, his eyes locked with Shikamaru's. It was only when Neji reached up to brush away Shikamaru's tears that he noticed that Neji's hands were handcuffed together.

"Neji" Shikamaru breathed, resting his forehead against Neji's. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, but it wasn't from fear.

Neji reached up and cupped Shikamaru's cheeks gently, brushing away more tears as he leaned in and kissed Shika again, his lips brushing lightly against those of the genius.

"Don't cry, Shika," Neji murmured softly, placing fluttering kisses on his forehead, his temple, his jaw line. "Please."

"Neji," Shika exhaled softly. "I was so worried..."

"I know, I know," Neji whispered, sitting himself on the bed next to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Neji's waist, nuzzling against his chest, breathing in his scent. They sat for a few moments like this, wrapped in each others arms. Shikamaru broke the silence.

"Why...How did they let you in here?" Shikamaru asked quietly, his fingers playing with the buttons on Neji's shirt.

Neji hated the restraints on his wrists as they stopped him from holding the crying boy next to him. "You weren't calming down...They said that if they gave you any more sedatives that your heart might be in danger. So...they brought me in."

"You weren't even gone a day, but I felt like my heart was being ripped out," Shika whispered. He rose to his knees and faced Neji, his hands tangling in dark hair as they kissed again. Their foreheads rested against one another's as they parted.

"I know..." Neji's voice trailed off, and his eyes flickered to the door.

Shikamaru turned and heard voices behind it. Neji took his chin between his fingers and he turned Shikamaru's head to face him.

"Listen to me Shika. They're going to take me away soon-,"

"No!" Shikamaru cried, the look on his face one of terror.

Neji pulled away slightly and commanded Shika's attention. "Shika, listen to me. It's going to be okay, I promise. They said they'd let me visit you-,"

A door opening cut off his sentence. A doctor and a security guard stepped inside, the security guard holding a night stick in his hands.

"Time to go, Neji."

Neji saw the panic on Shikamaru's face. He was crying again. Neji held Shikamaru's face in his hands gently.

"Shikamaru, listen to me! It will be alright, okay? Trust me, I wouldn't lie to you. We will see each other again, okay?"

"No..." Shikamaru was shaking his head, tears falling freely down his face. "Please, don't..."

"Shika, please," Neji pleaded.

"Please don't go Neji!" Shikamaru cried quietly, his shoulders shaking.

Neji leaned in and captured Shikamaru's lips again. He felt Shikamaru's hands tangle in his hair and he moved his lips pleadingly, trying to tell Shikamaru how he was hurting too.

A rough hand on Neji's shoulder forced them apart, their breath fast, their eyes locked together.

"Let's _go_," the guard grunted, pulling Neji completely off the bed and towards the door.

"Shikamaru, I want you to get out of here, okay? Get back with Naruto and the others. Take your meds, and promise me you'll be okay when I visit you."

Shikamaru nodded, tears dripping off his cheeks. "I promise," he whispered.

The guard pushed Neji out of the room and the doctor gave Shikamaru a soft look.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru, I am."

He left the room then, giving Shikamaru one last sympathetic glance.

The door shut then, locking away the boy alone with his tears.

* * *

**OoOo.**

**Woofta. That's the longest chapter yet, and believe me, mirandler43 and I worked out butts off to get it out this quickly. Now I know that it seems like people are "dropping like flies" in this fic, but Naruto and Shika will be back next chapter along with a new addition. Reviewers have been (mostly) lovely, so keep them coming.**

**Mirandler43 and I were IMing the other day when we were brainstorming ideas for the opening scene with Neji and Naruto. This is what we got.**

**Nurses- Get off him!**

**Neji- Just give me a second...**

**Naruto- GAWL Neji, hurry up!**

**Nurses- :attack Neji:**

**Neji- Hey! Do _not_ touch me! Dammit Naruto, stop breathing!**

**Naruto- I'm trying, I'm TRYING!**

**Neji- Ahh, there, done.**

**Naruto- :iz ded:**

**Are we horrible people for thinking this is funny? Anyways, keep up the reviews, you've been great.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4! **

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its characters. If I did, the boys would be getting it on. And ninja uniform would be no uniform.

**OoOo.**

Creak-creak.

Creak-creak.

Creak-creak.

Cre-

"Kiba would you stop that?" Sasuke asked, mildly irritated.

Kiba sat backwards on a chair and was riding it like a rocking horse, his face bored as he let all four legs of the chair back on the ground. Sasuke let his head thump against the wall; this couldn't go on much longer. It had been a week and a half since the accident, and although Shikamaru was back, Naruto was still in the hospital. Shikamaru had all but locked himself in his room since he had returned, and sheer boredom threatened to drive Sasuke and Kiba to insanity. (He refused to see the irony in that.)

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh. He had been originally very apprehensive when he heard Shikamaru was to return, considering his rather dramatic exit. But Shikamaru hadn't spoken to either Sasuke or Kiba, and he only came out of his room to go to the bathroom. And…despite that fact that the boy had threatened both himself and Kiba…the look on his face when he did manage to leave the room made Sasuke's heart break. It was blank, so painfully emotionless. Sasuke didn't know what had happened while Shika had been in the hospital, but he figured it had something to do with Neji.

_It would be like me losing Naruto, only worse_, Sasuke reasoned in his mind. Those two, Neji and Shikamaru, had been inseparable, for who knows how long. He didn't know the fate of the white-eyed boy, but he could only guess…

Creak-creak.

Creak-creak.

"Kiba, (creak-creak) how many times do I have to tell you-,"

"WAH!"

THUD.

Kiba lay in a heap on the floor, the chair on its side. He let out a huff and threw an offended glare in the chair's direction.

Sasuke wasn't aware of his laugh until it escaped him in a surprisingly loud snort. Kiba's head snapped up, and he giggled, hearing Sasuke's laugh. Sasuke couldn't stop himself as he began to laugh in earnest, holding his stomach as he did. Kiba laughed with him, not entirely sure why they were laughing, but hey, they were both overdue for some laughs.

The soft click of a door promptly shut them up. They watched from their spots on the floor as Shikamaru slowly emerged from his room, his steps slow and lazy. He ignored the two boys' stares as he dragged a chair up to the TV and turned it on.

The two boys eyes met for a second, then they looked back to Shikamaru, watching his back as he slumped slightly in his chair. Kiba detangled himself from his chair and slowly walked over to Shikamaru, his eyes wide with caution. He approached the boy slowly and stopped a foot away from him. It was only when Kiba poked him with a wary finger that Shika took his eyes off of the TV and paid him any attention.

"What?" Shikamaru ground out. Kiba continued to stare at him with round eyes, motionless. With no verbal response from the boy, Shikamaru turned back to the news program he had been watching. Sasuke watched the interaction with mild interest. He wasn't sure what had changed to make Shikamaru seek their company, although he knew Shika would probably never admit to actually wanting to be near them.

Still, it was obvious that he was lonely and bored enough from his self-induced isolation to venture out into the common room. Sasuke shrugged, then stood from his seat on the floor to walk over to where Kiba remained standing. He knew Kiba wanted some kind of reassurement from Shikamaru that things were alright, that he would be returning to his normal self, but perhaps Shikamaru didn't need them prodding at him right now. Besides, Sasuke knew Shika would not be returning to normal anytime soon.

So Sasuke opted to at least make Shikamaru's surroundings as normal as possible, which meant minimal talking on his part. He walked past Kiba and sat down on the couch to watch television with Shika. Kiba swiveled his head to watch him sit, with his confused look firmly in place, to which Sasuke responded by patting the cushion next to him and motioning for Kiba to join him.

Kiba sat down next to Sasuke on the couch, glancing from Shikamaru to Sasuke, then to the television and back to Shika. Finally, after receiving no visual attention from either of the boys, Kiba settled back to watch with them. Sasuke allowed himself a smirk knowing Kiba wouldn't last a minute watching the news. True to form, within thirty seconds he had bounded off the couch in search of his toys.

The drone of the television filled the quiet of the room. Sasuke risked a few glances at Shikamaru. The boy did not look good. His hair hung limply in its tie, and the nearly purple bags under his eyes hung on his lifeless face. His blinks were slow, and his eyes drooped.

"Shika…"

The boy didn't turn to him, or even acknowledge his voice as he stared blankly at the screen.

Sasuke bit his lip and turned back to the television. Kiba came bounding around the couch and plopped down next to Sasuke, holding his precious sock-monkey loosely in his hand. He waved to toy in front of Sasuke's face, commanding his attention.

"Yes?"

Kiba's face was serious. "This", he pointed to the toy, "is Nar-nar. Say 'hi' to Nar-nar."

Sasuke felt a smile twitch the corners of his mouth at the name of the toy. "Hello Nar-nar," he said with complete and solemn respect.

Kiba grinned and hugged the toy tightly. He glanced at the silent boy to his right. "Shikamaru already knows Nar-nar," he informed Sasuke. "Don't cha Shika?" he chirped, turning to face him.

He was ignored.

Kiba frowned slightly, but he turned his attention back to Nar-nar, grabbing the monkey's arms and making him dance on Kiba's lap. Kiba hummed quietly as Nar-nar danced, spinning and flipping around the couch.

The trio sat in relative calm for a few more minutes, Kiba continuing his dance with his monkey friend and Shikamaru and Sasuke watching the news. Neither seemed to be terribly interested in what was being reported; Shikamaru was just trying to pass time and Sasuke was there supporting him in his typical silent way. He shook his head slightly, pondering the changes in himself. Before he had come to this place he hadn't cared about anyone else's well being, but now he was acting as both a surrogate mother and an emotional backing.

Sasuke turned back to the television he had been ignoring for the past two minutes and was greeted with the image of a house blocked off with yellow tape that screamed "caution!" to any passerby. A female reporter appeared in front of the house in the typical blazer and skirt, her hair remaining plastered to her head despite the wind.

"Multiple homicide here last night, between the hours of eleven and twelve. Police found the bodies of Hitoma Akito along with his wife Yukio and his children, Hajiki and Misa, here early this morning. There appeared to be few signs of struggle."

Sasuke watched in horrified fascination as the reporter continued to callously outline the details of the murders.

"Shikamaru, is there a way to call a nurse in here?"

Shika pointed at the wall by the door without turning away from the television. "Green button."

Sasuke all but ran to the wall and pushed the button, swallowing down the near panic that was rising in his chest. The news story had sounded a bit too familiar.

Ten Ten came bustling through the door. "Hi Sasuke!"

"I need to use a phone," Sasuke hurriedly informed her.

Mild surprise shows on the nurse's face. "But why?"

"It's important. I need to call someone right now."

Ten Ten opened the door and peered down the hallway. When she saw no one she turned back to Sasuke.

"Well, I guess it's okay. But I have to stay with you the whole time."

Sasuke nodded quickly and followed her out of the common room and down the hall to the nurses' station. Ten Ten reached around the desk and pulled out the phone, setting it on the edge next to Sasuke. Sasuke snatched up the receiver and swiftly dialed a memorized number. After a few rings the call was answered.

"Obito!"

"...Sasuke?"

"Yes, it's me," said Sasuke in a rushed tone. "Listen, I was watching something on the news about a family that was murdered last night, and it reminded me of...I mean I just need to know—"

"Sasuke," Obito interrupted from the other side of the line, "he was apprehended two weeks ago. The police have him in custody."

Sasuke took a deep breath, part of him wanting to argue with Obito, to demand proof, but he knew that Obito was right.

"Okay."

Ten Ten waited as Sasuke finished his call in a hushed voice. He hung up and gave the phone back to her.

"So, is everything alright Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded, his eyes on the carpet. "Thanks, Ten Ten." She patted his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture and led him back to the common room. Sasuke returned to his seat on the couch, trying to keep his face blank. His tense body betrayed him, however. Shikamaru sat observing him discretely.

"You don't wanna watch this?"

Sasuke was slightly startled by the overt concern Shikamaru's question held but kept his face emotionless, shrugging in what he hoped was a nonchalant way.

"It doesn't matter to me."

Shikamaru astutely changed the channel to an obnoxiously flamboyant game show that only belonged on daytime television. Sasuke glanced at the other boy who nodded briefly. Sasuke nodded back, thankful of Shikamaru's discretion. He suddenly realized that Shikamaru probably knew all about him already and understood why the story had upset him. If Shikamaru had access to Naruto's file, he would have had no problem acquiring Sasuke's as well. It made him feel…exposed, and he suddenly knew why Naruto had been upset at learning that his file had circulated.

Kiba bounded up to Sasuke, blissfully unaware of the previous brief exchange between the two silent boys.

"We should watch a funny movie," he announced.

"Why?" asked Sasuke.

Kiba pointed at Shikamaru. "Shika needs to cheer up! Ooh, I know, we'll watch 101 Dalmations!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

Shikamaru snorted with unsuppressed irritation. Sasuke, seeking to stop the impending confrontation between the hyper boy and the irritable Shikamaru, put his hands on Kiba's shoulders to stop him from bouncing.

"Kiba, I don't think Shikamaru wants to watch the movie."

Kiba pouted. "But it's funny! It will make him laugh!"

Sasuke nodded but kept his grip on the boy firm. "Shikamaru is lonely because his best friend is gone," he glanced at Shika briefly. "I know you want to help him, and it's very nice of you to try to make him happy, but it might take a while for him to cheer up," _if ever_, his mind supplied. "Right now we just need to let Shikamaru be, and let him decide when he wants to be happy again."

Kiba nodded solemnly, looking rather forlornly at Sasuke. "Will he get happy soon?"

_I hope so._ "Yes, Kiba, as soon as he can."

Kiba nodded again, this time looking over at Shikamaru, who had been watching the television as though his moods weren't being discussed right in front of him. Kiba looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, purposefully, he strode over to Shikamaru and thrust his sock monkey in Shikamaru's face. Shikamaru tilted his head to look around the toy at Kiba, slightly annoyed.

"You take Nar-Nar," Kiba told him. "He can be your new friend. He helps me when I'm sad."

Shikamaru stared at him blankly for a moment, then he gave an acquiescent nod, accepting Kiba's gift. Kiba grinned and ran to the corner of the room in search of a new toy. Sasuke allowed a small smile to flit across his features at the exchange between the two boys; then he frowned slightly.

_God, I miss Naruto._

The bright eyed blonde had always managed to keep the peace in this social scene. Sasuke appreciated for the first time how demanding a job that was.

* * *

The sound of drawers slamming and the clank of metal startled him out of his slumber. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he saw a figure walk quickly past his door, towards his parent's room. He stood slowly, a dark feeling washing over him for some unknown reason…

He poked his head out of his room into the hall, when he heard noises coming from down the hall.

A soft rustling, the sounds of someone just waking up...

A sudden gasp, followed by…he strained his ears…gurgling? His head snapped up in alarm.

He heard the faint noise of cloth rubbing against cloth and then a startled cry. His mother's voice.

"Itachi! Oh my-Itachi, what have you done?--AHH!"

He was sprinting down the hall now, his breath in his throat.

"Mom!"

He heard the sound of struggling, of limbs flailing on cotton sheets, then-…

That same creepy bubbling noise, and an eerie silence as sounds of resistance ceased.

He had reached the door when it hit him-the smell. Blood.

He saw his older brother, bent over his parent's bed, a red stained knife grasped in his hand.

"I-Itachi?"

Sasuke couldn't look away from the knife still hovering over his mother, tiny drops of her blood falling from it onto her pajamas. Itachi straightened to face his younger brother. It was only then that he saw his parents.

Twitching on the bed, gurgling as blood spilled from their slit throats, their eyes wide with panic as they clutched the sheets in their fists-

Sasuke bolted upright in bed with a loud gasp. Sweat dripped down his neck as he tried to calm his erratic breathing.

_It was only a dream, it was only a dream, it was only a dream._

He felt his pulse slowly return to normal, and he forced himself to lie back down, grimacing at the dampness of his sheets. He jammed his eyes shut, forcing the images of his dream out of his head.

_It was only a dream._

He slowly drifted off to sleep.

_It was only a dream…_

_

* * *

Sasuke stirred awake for the second time that day. He glanced around his room cautiously, making sure that it was his hospital room and not his dreams again. He sat up and collected himself when he heard laughter from the common room._

It wasn't a dream then.

He felt a stir of alarm suddenly, when he realized: He had left Kiba to his own devices for hours. And he was laughing. That couldn't be good.

When he reached his door, he half expected the room to be wrecked or on fire, or some other disaster. But, when he saw the source of Kiba's laughter, he let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

_Naruto._

Kiba and Naruto sat on the couch, both cross legged and sitting opposite of each other. Naruto held out a finger, in a 'just wait' motion. Kiba squeezed his eyes shut tightly until Naruto tapped him.

His eyes flew open and he squealed and fell into a loud fit of giggles. Naruto had his eyes crossed, eyebrows furrowed and was holding his cheeks wipe apart. He looked like a confused Frankenstein, and Kiba loved it.

"Okay, okay!" Kiba exclaimed, motioning for Naruto to close his eyes. Naruto did and waited patiently while Kiba thought.

Kiba's face lit up with an idea and he pulled on the corners of his eyes, making them stretch long, and he stuck his tongue out. "Otay!" he called (his tongue still sticking out of his mouth).

Naruto opened his eyes to see Kiba several inches from his face.

"Boogablaopthbbt!" Kiba shouted monster noises at Naruto, trying to evoke a reaction.

Naruto burst out laughing so hard that he fell backwards on the couch, holding his stomach as he did. It was only when Sasuke felt a soft laugh escape him that Naruto turned quickly to see him in the doorway.

"Sasuke," he said, his eyes brightening. "I was wondering when you would wake up." He patted the couch next him and Sasuke walked over and sat down carefully next to him.

He was painfully aware of how happy he was to see the boy. He couldn't dwell on it, though. Sasuke and contemplating the deeper meanings of emotions just didn't go together.

"Where did Shikamaru go?" he asked Naruto. Naruto pointed at the closed door of Shikamaru's room. "I don't think he was very happy to see me."

Sasuke nodded, suddenly understanding. It probably would be difficult to have to greet the person who was the reason for his best friend being taken away from him.

"So it might be awkward for a while then."

Naruto just nodded. Sasuke could see a hint of guilt in his eyes, but before he could say anything Naruto had turned to Kiba, happy smile in place.

"So Kiba, we have a while until dinner. What do you want to do?"

Kiba paused, feeling the weight of the decision on his shoulders. "Well…" he mulled over his options in his mind. His head snapped up. "Lets play hide and SEEK!" he shouted, clapping his hands together in excitement.

"Hide and seek? In here?" Sasuke questioned dryly, taking a quick look at their surroundings.

Naruto quickly shushed him with a disapproving look and turned to Kiba. "Okay, hide and seek it is! I'll be it. You get one minute to hide!" he said, covering his eyes dutifully with his hand.

Kiba squeaked and ran off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

_So discrete._

Naruto uncovered his eyes. "That's a pretty lame hiding spot, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned.

"Oh come on, go hide." Naruto playfully pushed him away as he closed his eyes again.

Sasuke let out a sigh, but did as he was told. It was Naruto's first day back; he couldn't be giving him a hard time just yet.

After a while, Naruto shouted out "Ready or not, here I come!" which was followed by a very audible giggle from Kiba, who hid in his room.

_So _very _discrete._

Naruto found Sasuke laying on his bed, his arm covering his eyes.

"Sasuke…" Naruto scolded, folding his arms.

Sasuke grunted and pulled the covers over himself. "There."

"Thank you," Naruto said as he moved off to Kiba's room. "Now where could he be?" (another loud giggle from Kiba)

He never saw the small smile that played on Sasuke's lips as he hid under the covers.

A few moments passed until finally--

"Found you!"

"Aww!" Frustration was evident in Kiba's voice. "Next time, you won't find me!"

Naruto laughed and walked back out into the common room, his finger tapping his chin. "But I wonder…where can Sasuke be?"

Kiba perked up, now he got to seek! He dashed from his room, to Neji's empty one, to Sasuke's, then he stopped next to Naruto. "He sure is a good hider," Kiba said, nodding.

Sasuke snorted softly in laughter.

Kiba's ears perked, and he dashed to Sasuke's room, Naruto following him. Kiba surveyed the room carefully, knowing the boy was near. Suddenly, his face lit up, and he jerked back the sheet and revealed Sasuke who feigned shock.

"You found me?"

Kiba grinned and held his head high as he trotted out of the room. "Gosh Naruto, you couldn't find him? You're not a very good finder are you?"

Naruto laughed at the fact that Kiba himself had missed Sasuke earlier, and he pulled the reluctant Uchiha out of the bed and back into the common room.

The game went on for almost an hour. Several things were revealed, number one being that Kiba couldn't be the seeker. After barely thirty seconds of trying to find Sasuke and Naruto, he got bored and turned on the TV. And when he had said Naruto wouldn't find him the next time, he hadn't been kidding.

They only were able to find him when they slumped to the couch in defeat and they heard a squeak from below them. Yes, Kiba had (god knows how) fit under the couch.

Despite himself, Sasuke found himself having fun, and he couldn't say he was completely relieved when Ten Ten came in, carrying their dinners.

"Naruto, will you go tell Shikamaru that dinner is ready?" she said as she placed the trays on the table. Naruto looked slightly worried.

"Maybe Shikamaru can eat in his room tonight."

Ten Ten shook her head as she tried to keep Kiba separated from the food. "I really want him to eat out here tonight." She slapped Kiba's hands away from the red jello on one of the trays. Naruto nodded in submission and walked over to Shikamaru's door, hand poised to knock, but before his fist could connect with wood Sasuke appeared at his side and grabbed his wrist.

"I'll do it."

Naruto looked at him, surprised at the sudden gesture.

"It's okay," Sasuke assured him.

Naruto smiled softly then, taking a step back when Sasuke released his grip on his wrist. Sasuke nodded and shoved Naruto lightly towards the table where Ten Ten was busily trying to distract Kiba while she set up dinner.

Sasuke knocked on Shikamaru's door. He waited for a few seconds and opened the door slowly when there was no response, peeking his head around the edge. He found Shikamaru sitting against the wall with his knees pulled to his chest.

"Shikamaru?"

The boy seemed to snap out of his trance at his name. "I'm not hungry."

"Ten Ten says she wants you to eat with us tonight," said Sasuke a little nervously.

Shikamaru returned to staring at nothing, seemingly ignoring Sasuke's presence. Sasuke was sure he would refuse and was about to leave the room when Shikamaru stood up abruptly, tossed something he had been holding in the corner and walked past Sasuke out the door. Sasuke glanced to the corner and was surprised to see Nar-Nar lying in a heap.

He wasn't sure he would ever figure Shikamaru out.

Sasuke returned to the common room to see Naruto and Kiba sitting at the table, Naruto doing his best to keep Kiba productively occupied. Shikamaru had taken his tray and went to sit in the far corner facing the wall. Sasuke thought it would be best to leave Shikamaru on his own for now and went to join the other two boys at the table.

"Why is my jello a different color?" Kiba asked, frowning.

Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth and replied, "Because you get special jello. We get stuck with the boring jello." He wrinkled his nose and looked over to Sasuke with a wink. Sasuke got the message.

"Uh, yeah. Red jello is boring. I wish I had green."

Kiba poked at his jello, clearly unpleased. "I hate green."

Naruto grinned. "Nah, green is cool! Like an alien!" Kiba's eyes got big at that. He returned his interest the jello, this time poking it more carefully as if to dissect it. Naruto leaned closer to Sasuke subtly.

"Sugar free," he whispered.

Sasuke snorted but quickly covered with a cough at Kiba's curious glance. He sent a prayer of thanks to any deity listening that someone had thought the hyper boy's diet through. He wouldn't want to be the one forced to deal with Kiba on a sugar high at two in the morning.

Kiba managed to get through the rest of dinner without any major mishaps, mainly due to his new fascination with his jello. He saved it for last, poking it warily once before quickly shoving the whole blob in his mouth and swallowing, looking immensely satisfied with himself.

Naruto and Sasuke ate in comfortable silence, at least until Kiba was done eating. He bounced in his seat a few times, looking rapidly around the room. Then he leaned over towards Naruto, balancing precariously on the edge of his seat. Naruto managed to keep his face solemn as Kiba cupped his hand around Naruto's ear and whispered loudly,

"Can we watch a movie?"

Naruto eyed the steamed carrots on Kiba's tray. "Are you done with dinner?" he whispered just as loudly. Kiba nodded solemnly, big eyes pleading.

"You should eat your carrots."

Two heads whipped around to look at Sasuke, who was looking down as he continued to eat.

"But they're GROSS!" protested Kiba loudly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You know Ten Ten is going to make you anyways, so you might as well eat them now and get it over with."

Kiba made a huffing noise and looked to Naruto, who was glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke flinched. He never would have guessed the blonde to be capable of giving off such an angry aura.

Naruto turned to Kiba. "You don't have to eat your beans, Kiba. Go find a movie."

Kiba grinned in triumph, but when Sasuke stood and fixed a dark stare on Kiba, the grin quickly faded.

"I mean it, Kiba. No movie until you eat your carrots."

"No!" Naruto jumped up from his seat too. "Kiba, you don't have to listen to him." To Sasuke, he fiercely whispered, "What is your problem!"

Sasuke didn't know what was coming over him. He couldn't seem to let this go, apathetic mask falling as he scowled angrily across the table.

"He can't always get his way!"

"Since when do you make the rules here?"

"Since when do you!"

Kiba watched the crossfire between the two boys, confusion appearing on his face and growing with each passing second. Finally he appeared to give up any hope of understanding what was going on. As voices continued to escalate he grabbed his dinner tray and scampered over to Shikamaru's corner and plopped down beside him.

"Hi."

Shikamaru glanced over at his new companion and grunted. Kiba played with the carpet while Shikamaru continued to eat, carefully separating the mushrooms from his scalloped potatoes.

"He's right, you know," Shikamaru told Kiba around a mouthful. Kiba looked at him, puzzled.

"Who is?"

"Sasuke. Ten Ten will make you eat them."

Kiba wrinkled his nose and glared at the offending vegetables. "Carrots are yucky. Besides, she's going to make you eat your mushrooms too."

Shika just stared, wondering what that had to do with anything. But then he realized that Kiba was right; Neji had always eaten his mushrooms for him. And god, how he despised mushrooms...

"I tell you what," he whispered conspiratorily to Kiba. "If you eat my mushrooms, I'll eat your carrots. That way Ten Ten won't get mad, those two can stop yelling, and you get to watch your movie."

Kiba's eyes went wide as a sneaky smile slid across his face. He peeked over his shoulder slyly and, finding Naruto and Sasuke still completely engrossed in their argument, quickly made the transfer. Shikamaru and Kiba scarfed down the vegetables quickly before the other boys could notice. Kiba grinned.

"Thanks Shika!" he whispered. Shika nodded.

Naruto and Sasuke were still yelling at each other when a small form stepped in between them.

"Look, I ate my carrots!"

Sasuke looked down at the tray Kiba was shoving proudly in his face, then back to Naruto, the gloating unmistakable in his eyes.

"Fine," Naruto practically seethed.

Kiba turned troubled eyes on the blonde. "Are you mad at me?"

"No!--" Naruto stopped, realizing he was still yelling. "No," he said more softly, "I'm not mad, Kiba. It was good of you to eat your vegetables."

The look he was shooting at Sasuke said otherwise. Kiba, however, remained oblivious to the now palpable tension in the room, tugged on Naruto's hand.

"Okay, let's watch the movie then!"

Ten Ten entered the room just as Kiba dragged Naruto away towards the television, already babbling about the 101 Dalmations and how this time he needed Naruto's help to count the puppies and see if there were really one hundred and one, because geez that's a lot!

Shikamaru rose from the floor and handed Ten Ten his tray. Ten Ten looked at it bewildered.

"Shikamaru, did you eat your mushrooms?"

Shikamaru nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets, face expressionless. Ten Ten glanced at his pockets apprehensively.

"They're not in your pants, are they?"

Shikamaru snorted and turned out his pockets.

"But you hate mushrooms," said Ten Ten, puzzled. Shikamaru shrugged and walked to his room. Sasuke's eyes followed him, narrowing suspiciously.

"Huh," Ten Ten muttered. "Kiba ate his carrots, too."

* * *

Kiba shrieked as Cruella DeVille laughed evilly and puppies scampered in fear. He was sitting in Naruto's lap on the couch with his hands over his face, fingers splayed and eyes peeking through. Naruto patted his back comfortingly.

Sasuke smirked from his chair. Kiba had been waiting to watch the movie all day. Now he would probably be up all night scared of the crazy lady with a fetish for dog pelts.

The tension had faded a bit between Sasuke and Naruto but was still hanging in the air between them. Sasuke sighed tiredly and reclined a little, stretching his legs out to rest his feet on the low table in front of him. Hopefully it would pass by the time morning rolled around...

Sasuke could hear a dark roar of laughter from his side but couldn't see anything. Then Naruto's face loomed at him from the darkness, eyes crinkled shut as evil sounds of mirth came tearing out of his mouth.

_What?_

Suddenly it wasn't Naruto anymore. Itachi was rushing at him, grinning wickedly while brandishing his already dripping knife. Sasuke panicked and jerked his body to the side out of the way of Itachi's path, but Itachi kept going. Puzzled, Sasuke looked over his shoulder, curious why Itachi hadn't kept after him.

But then he saw, the reason Itachi had kept on running maniacally. He tried to jump out grab his brother, stop him, trip him, anything, but he couldn't stop the knife from leaving Itachi's hand and tearing through the air towards Naruto.

Naruto, just standing there, eyes wide with fear as he watched his end come hurtling at him...

"Naruto! MOVE!" Sasuke shrieked.

But Naruto didn't move.

And suddenly, he didn't have to. The knife was no more; a puppy was now flying at Naruto in it's place.

_Wait...what?_

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke jolted awake, eyes opening wide to see Kiba smacking him with his balled up sock.

"Kiba, sto—eew, put that back on your foot," he muttered sleepily with his eyes half open. He saw the shadow of the sock coming at him again and flinched, waiting for the soggy piece of cotton to hit him in the face once more. But the sock never landed.

Sasuke looked up to see Naruto standing over him and Kiba holding the sock in mid-swing.

"Kiba. Sasuke asked you to stop...GROSS Kiba! This is _wet_!"

Giggles erupted from above him as Naruto dropped the sock as though it had scalded him.

"Put that back on. No, no, never mind, _don't_ put that thing back on your foot. _Eww._ Put it in your laundry basket," Naruto ordered, looking thoroughly disgusted. Kiba, still giggling, picked up the sock and ran to his room to do as Naruto told him. Naruto wiped his hand on his pants repeatedly, muttering something about too much energy and overactive sweat glands.

Sasuke chuckled as he reached for the remote and paused the movie. A pissed off Naruto loomed over him.

"Why the _hell_ are you laughing?"

Sasuke swallowed but kept his gaze steady. "I never thought you would be such a...germ freak."

Naruto backed up a bit and looked thoughtful. "Really?"

"No, I would have guessed Shikamaru before you."

"Nah, Shika doesn't pay attention to stuff like that," said Naruto, scratching his neck. "You could dump him in a pile of sponges and he wouldn't even care."

"What's wrong with sponges?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Bacteria! That's what's wrong with them! They're breeding grounds!" he spluttered incredulously.

Sasuke smirked watching Naruto started to pace as he continued his rant, his voice steadily increasing in pitch and volume.

"Okay, alright, I'm sorry. I'll never touch a sponge again," he said as though trying to placate a small child. Naruto would have none of it, however. He ran back to the chair Sasuke was still reclining in and shoved an accusing finger in his face.

"What happened at dinner? Why were you so mad?"

Sasuke slapped the offending digit away from his face and sat up. "You started it!"

Naruto gasped. "I did _not_!"

"Yes you did. I tried to encourage a sense of responsibility, and you got pissed."

A loud _hmph_ surfaced and Naruto crossed his arms across his chest as he plopped back down on the couch. "Your claim has no basis."

"My claim has no basis?" Sasuke wrinkled his brow. "Why don't you argue like a regular person and talk normal?" he added under his breath, closing his eyes and shifting in his seat.

A brief moment of silence followed, prompting Sasuke to glance sideways at Naruto and smirk at the heated scowl aimed in his direction. He hadn't realized how amusing it could be to try to evoke reactions from people. If everyone reacted the way Naruto did, it would have to become a new hobby. Sasuke almost laughed out loud in derision. Sasuke, with a hobby? What was happening to him?

"Fine," Naruto's low growl interrupted Sasuke's thoughts. "You have no right to boss around my Kiba!"

Sasuke's eyes widened at Naruto's slip. Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing what he had just said. Suddenly Sasuke realized what was bothering Naruto.

Of course Naruto was upset. He had been the one taking care of Kiba for the last...well, Sasuke didn't know how long Naruto had been here, but potentially a very long time. Naruto had left the wing for three days, and in his absence Sasuke had evolved from an uninvolved presence to concerned caregiver to Kiba.

Naruto seemed to be realizing this as well, his eyes mirroring shock. Sasuke wanted to say something, anything to convince Naruto that Kiba had just been acting out of self-preservation, but Kiba chose that moment to reemerge from his bedroom. He bounded up to Naruto grinning.

"I put on clean socks! Now can we finish the movie?" he asked innocently. Naruto looked down at the bright pink and green socks on Kiba's feet and smiled softly.

"Absolutely."

Kiba squealed softly and clambered up into Naruto's lap. Sasuke smiled a little as Naruto's arms slipped around the boy, enjoying the show of affection.

"Sasuke! Push play!"

Naruto poked Kiba in the shoulder. "_Please._"

"Push play _pleeease_!"

Sasuke smirked and did as he was so politely asked. The movie continued and was granted Kiba's rapt attention once more. Sasuke glanced sideways at Naruto to find him looking at him. They maintained eye contact awkwardly until Naruto half-smiled at Sasuke, who nodded back before returning his eyes to numerous scampering puppies.

By the end of the movie, Sasuke had truly relaxed for the first time since Naruto had returned to their wing. All was well in his world: Kiba, almost asleep (a welcome relief); Naruto absently stroking the younger boy's hair with a peaceful expression on his face.

The sound of a door opening and feet padding out into the common room reminded Sasuke of Shikamaru's presence and the fact that all was, in fact, not well. Naruto was back, but peace would likely be elusive for the next few days as Shikamaru dealt with the daily reminder of the reason Neji had been taken from him.

He and Naruto watched as Shikamaru made a wide berth around the TV area and headed to the bathroom, avoiding eye contact. Naruto sighed dejectedly.

"How long do you think he's going to be like this?" Sasuke asked softly as to not awaken Kiba.

"I have no idea," said Naruto, shaking his head. "I deserve it, though," he added in a whisper. He looked up at Sasuke with the beginnings of a sad smile.

"I'm going to put this guy in bed," he said before Sasuke could say anything. Carefully he extricated himself from underneath Kiba and lifted the boy in his arms, Kiba's limbs instinctively wrapping themselves around Naruto's torso.

"...buh wanna watsh the muby," whined Kiba incoherently. Naruto rubbed his back, shushing him as he made his way into Kiba's bedroom.

Sasuke stood and stretched, turning off the television and DVD player and returning the remote control to the top of the TV. Shikamaru emerged from the bathroom and started back towards his bedroom, this time not making such an obvious effort to avoid Sasuke's corner of the room.

"Shikamaru--"

Shikamaru looked up at Sasuke and shook his head before Sasuke could get out any other words.

"I'm sorry. I just can't be around him yet."

Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"I miss Neji..." said Shikamru softly, looking away for Sasuke for a few seconds. When he returned his eyes to Sasuke, they were moist. "Just tell Naruto I'm sorry. I know he didn't do it on purpose."

Sasuke nodded again, at a loss for anything to say. Shikamaru swallowed thickly and quickly returned to his bedroom.

A few minutes later, Sasuke was standing outside Naruto's room, staring in through the open doorway. Naruto had gotten Kiba to bed without incident and was now sitting on his mattress with his back against the wall, his head leaning back and eyes closed. His face looked exhausted. Dark lines laced his eyes, and with his facial muscles relaxed he looked older than fourteen. Sasuke frowned slightly as he leaned against the doorpost.

Naruto opened his eyes then and smiled when he saw Sasuke. Sasuke was relieved to see the dark lines disappear but then realized they hadn't disappeared. In fact, none of the signs of fatigue that he had just observed were completely gone. There was just something about Naruto's cheerful expression that made him look past them.

"You don't have to force your smile with me, Naruto," Sasuke quietly informed the boy. Naruto looked as if he was about to protest, to say that he wasn't forcing anything and that he was in fact perfectly fine, but something about the concern evident in Sasuke's eyes forced him to stop. He nodded and let his head fall back against the wall, eyes closing once more.

"Shikamaru says he's sorry," said Sasuke as he made his way towards the mattress. Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"He's sorry?"

Sasuke nodded, sitting down on the bed. As soon as his weight was fully resting on the mattress his eyes went wide and a startled gasp flew from his mouth. Naruto watched as Sasuke's lips formed a large "O" and his eyes slid shut.

"What? What's wrong?"

Sasuke opened one eye and glanced sideways at Naruto, who was now staring at him as though he had sprouted antlers.

"Your bed...oh my _god_," he said reverently, then continued in a slightly annoyed tone, "Why the hell didn't I get one of these?"

"Oh, yeah, I have to have a special bed because there can't be any metal in here," said Naruto nonchalantly. Sasuke closed his eyes again, this time having the grace to close his mouth. Developing suicidal tendencies was starting to look very tempting.

The boys remained like that for several minutes, each to his own thoughts. Neither had realized how much they had missed the other's company, but even now that they were in such close proximity they didn't feel the need to talk.

"You're wrong, by the way," Sasuke stated into the silence.

Naruto whirled his head around to face him. "No I'm not!" he said defensively, despite the fact that he didn't know what Sasuke was referring to. Sasuke ignored his protest.

"You don't deserve how Shikamaru is treating you."

Naruto's eyes dropped to his knees. "Yes, I do. It's my fault that Neji is gone," he said sadly.

Sasuke shook his head. "Naruto--"

"No, it is. I knew Neji's past and exploited it. I used him! This is completely my fault."

"How can you say that?" asked Sasuke incredulously. "Even Shikamaru said he knew you didn't do it on purpose." Naruto looked like he was going to object again, but Sasuke just jabbed him lightly with his elbow. "You would never had done what you did if you had any control over the situation."

Naruto sighed. "I'm a horrible friend."

Sasuke had had enough and knew full well that Naruto would just continue to beat himself up if he didn't manage to change his mind. He reached out and took Naruto's chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, lifting slightly to see the boy's face.

"You are not a horrible friend. You didn't know what you were doing. And at the end of the day, Neji made the decision to do what he did, not you."

Soulful blue eyes searched his charcoal ones, crying out for something to latch on to to drag himself out of this self-imposed guilt.

"Okay?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded, freeing his chin from Sasuke's light grip. He closed his eyes and rested his head against Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke's arm found its way around Naruto's back seemingly on its own accord, fingers rubbing gentle circles between shoulder blades. Naruto let out a deep breath.

"Thank you Sasuke."

Sasuke couldn't say anything so he settled for a nod that Naruto couldn't see. This boy had come to mean a lot to him, although he wasn't sure why. All he knew was that he never wanted to see Naruto's face so sad ever again.

* * *

The next morning found the boys in the common room with an hour before their group session started. Shikamaru and Sasuke were watching television idly while Kiba sprinted laps around the room with Naruto on his heels. Sasuke was relieved the boy had decided to attach himself to Naruto that morning. After falling asleep sitting upright against Naruto's wall the previous night, his back wasn't quite cooperating. That, and the fact that he was most definitely not a morning person, made him thankful he was not the one having to run in such a confined space at breakneck speeds.

Kiba suddenly stopped short, Naruto almost running into him and having to throw himself into the wall to stop himself from hitting the small boy. A slow, conniving smile spread across Kiba's face, scaring Sasuke more than he would ever verbally admit.

"What?" Naruto asked warily. Kiba just darted into his bedroom and returned after a few seconds, two pillows in tow. He stopped several feet short of Naruto, quickly tossed him a pillow and turned and dashed away giggling. Naruto grinned, taking the hint and chasing after him. After a few well placed hits he had Kiba shrieking in laughter.

Sasuke and Shikamaru remained stoically on the sidelines during the fight. Sasuke was watching, a completely bored expression fixed upon his face, at least until Kiba had decided to throw his pillow. As the pillow sailed through the air, something snapped in Sasuke's mind. The pillow morphed from a cushion to a glinting, blood stained knife. Sasuke felt the room freeze as the knife shot towards Naruto's face. He saw Itachi standing in Kiba's place, a small smirk on his face as he waited for his weapon to hit. Sasuke's body moved on its own.

He let out a sharp cry and he shoved Naruto to the ground, out of harms way and leapt at Itachi, screaming as he did. His fist had almost come into contact with Itachi's face when he felt arms wrap around his waist, hauling him backwards, away from Itachi.

"No!" Sasuke screamed at the shadow holding him back, thrashing wildly. "Let me go!"

Naruto watched the scene before him from the floor with wide eyes. Sasuke had suddenly attacked Kiba, and he would have landed a blow if Shikamaru hadn't held him back. The boy was fighting Shikamaru, screaming at Kiba (who looked like he was going to pee his pants).

"You bastard! How could you do this to me! You fucking BASTARD!" Sasuke was screaming his lungs out at Kiba, trying to lunge at him over and over.

Sasuke watched as Itachi smirked. "Is that all you got little brother? You couldn't to anything _that _day, and you can't do anything now!"

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck UP!" Sasuke screamed in rage. "You KILLED them! How could you fucking kill them, you sick bastard!"

His vision of Itachi was suddenly obscured as someone moved between them. He screamed and kicked at the thing holding him swiftly.

"Ow, Jesus!" Shika shouted as he let go of Sasuke, causing the boy to ram head on with Naruto.

Naruto quickly grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "Stop Sasuke," he ordered as calmly as he could.

"Naruto, get away from him!" Sasuke cried, trying to push Naruto out of the way, but Naruto would have none of it.

He held his grip on Sasuke. "Get away from who Sasuke?" he asked. "The only person there is Kiba."

Sasuke's eyes were wide as he shook his head, still trying to push Naruto away. "He'll hurt you!"

"Who will hurt me Sasuke? There's no one there!" Naruto's voice had begun to rise as he felt Sasuke slipping away from him.

Sasuke saw Itachi grin psychotically before lunging at Naruto, a knife held in his outstretched hand.

"NARUTO!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto's shout was accompanied by a sharp slap to Sasuke's face.

Sasuke stumbled back a few steps, his hand flying to his reddened cheek. "Naruto, wha-…what happened-…"

It seemed to come back to him in a flash, and he felt himself stumble backwards until his back hit the wall. His body slumped to the floor.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried softly, kneeling beside him. "Are you ok? What happened? Sasuke!"

Sasuke stared ahead blankly, blinking slowly, not reacting to Naruto's voice. Naruto turned to Shika, who watched the scene with furrowed brows.

"Get a nurse in here," he instructed before turning back to Sasuke. "Sasuke, can you hear me?"

The boy still wasn't responding as Naruto gently shook his shoulders. Shikamaru watched for a moment, before going into his room and closing the door behind him.

A few moments later, a nurse rushed in, gently pushing Naruto out of the way as she took Sasuke's pulse. "What happened?" she asked hurriedly.

"He just snapped…he started screaming, and I think he saw someone that wasn't there," Naruto said softly, watching carefully as the nurse gently shook Sasuke.

"Sasuke," she called lightly. "Sasuke, I need you to stand up for me."

He gave no sign that he had heard her, but when she (along with Naruto) hauled him to his feet, he seemed to be able to stay upright by himself. She slung his arm over her shoulder.

"Walk with me, Sasuke" she said, walking slowly ahead as he stumbled to move his feet along with hers. She reached the door and Naruto spoke up.

"What…are you going to do?"

"Don't worry Naruto," she said, shifting Sasuke's weight a little. "He just has to talk to some doctors. He should be back before tonight…"

They walked out the door together, the nurse and Sasuke. She turned back.

"Shut the door behind me boys ok? I'll be back to check on you in a minute."

Naruto did as he was told, watching Sasuke shuffle down the hall for a minute before shutting the door. It was only then that he realized that Kiba was standing near the wall, watching him. Naruto walked quickly to his side, thinking the boy must be scared.

But Kiba surprised him by asking in a level voice. "Is that Sasuke's sickness?"

Naruto nodded. "I think so, Kiba."

"He used angry words…" Kiba's eyes watched the carpet as he heard Sasuke's screams echo in his head.

Naruto squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "He wasn't saying them to you Kiba. He thought you were someone else, I think."

Kiba looked up, confused. "But I'm me."

Naruto smiled softly. "I know Kiba. I'm sure Sasuke will explain when he gets back."

"Ok." Kiba seemed to accept this.

But even as they settled down to play a game of catch, Naruto couldn't keep his mind off of Sasuke, off the look of complete fury and at the same time fear.

He couldn't help but wonder what Sasuke had seen.

* * *

Shizune entered her office to see Sasuke Uchiha sitting across from her chair on a couch, staring at his knees. She sat in her chair and addressed him.

"Sasuke?"

He looked up.

"I heard you had a bit of an episode today."

He nodded.

"Could you tell me what happened?" she asked gently.

She was almost surprised when Sasuke opened his mouth to tell his story.

"My family was normal…Or at least it was. My mom and dad were both successful in their jobs, and my brother was excelling in his schooling. Things seemed to be going great. Well Itachi, my brother…"

Shizune noted that his tone darkened with the mention of the name.

"He began to distance himself from the family. My parents thought it was him just trying to show his independence or something, so they paid no attention to it. Well…" Sasuke took a breath, still staring steadily at his knees.

"One night he came home late from a party, went into the kitchen and got out a knife. He walked into my parents room and slit both of their throats. Just like that." Sasuke could feel his emotions beginning to rise in him again as he recalled it.

"He just _waltzed_ into my parent's room and killed them both. Without batting an eyelash. He had woken me up, and I went to my parent's room when I heard noise…then I saw them."

Shizune watched the look on his face change from sadness to anger and back to sadness in a cycle.

"It took me a second to understand what had happened. I couldn't believe that my own brother would do that…I wanted there to be some other explanation. But by the time I had processed it, he had walked past me and out of the house. I couldn't to a god damn thing." Sasuke gripped his knees tightly as he tried to reign in the anger he could feel rising in his gut.

"Eventually the police caught him, and he pleaded guilty in court. I had to go too, as a witness. And the horrible thing was-," There was that anger again. "He didn't even feel any remorse. The judge asked him why he did it, and he said because he had wanted to. He said the same thing when he was asked why he left me alive…"

Shizune shifted I her seat slightly, listening intently to his story.

"They sentenced him to life in prison. I wanted him to die for it. For what he did to them, for what he did to _me. _I couldn't cry at the funeral. I couldn't cry at my fucking PARENTS funeral. I hate him for that so god damn much."

Shizune didn't even bother to scold the swearing. She was seeing a whole other side to the boy. Even though she had heard the story from others, hearing it from his point of view revealed so much about him. She could get inside his head for once.

He seemed like he was done talking, so she began.

"You've made a major breakthrough today, Sasuke. I want you to know that."

He seemed less than convinced. "I feel like an idiot," he admitted quietly.

She smiled slightly. "Well, this is the first time you've ever…let yourself accept what you are truly feeling. What you have done before this is hold your emotions inside yourself and deny their existence. I believe it was partially the reason behind your explosion today. You never got a chance to tell your brother what you really felt, and you never had anyone to tell. So when you saw him, you let him have it. What you did today was very healthy, and things will get better. Trust me."

Sasuke nodded. It surely couldn't get any worse, right?

"Well that brings us to your treatment. Are you ready to discuss it?"

He nodded, looking her strait in the eye for the first time that day.

"They will be putting you on a drug that should control your hallucinations completely. It's very safe and it should also leave you completely…the way you are."

"No fake happy?" Sasuke asked.

"No fake happy," she confirmed, nodding. "They'll start you on a regular dosage, and if you still experience symptoms, they'll up the dosage. Just two pills a day. Is that alright?"

He nodded. "When can I go back?"

Shizune stood, smoothing out her blazer. "Whenever you feel ready. Don't force yourself to go back if you don't want to."

He stood as well. "I want to go back."

She smiled knowingly and opened her door, motioning for him to follow her out. She led him to his room and shut the door behind him after he entered.

The boy might not have known it, but he had made a major breakthrough today, and she was proud of him.

* * *

Sasuke heard the door lock with an audible 'click' behind him. Naruto looked up from his place on a chair, a relieved look crossing his face. "Welcome back."

Sasuke nodded and asked, "Where's Kiba?"

Naruto pointed to Kiba's room. "Just be straight forward with him," he instructed Sasuke.

He nodded, and knocked on the door gently.

"Yeah?" he heard Kiba say from behind the door.

"Hey Kiba? Its Sasuke. I was hoping we could talk-,"

The door opened and Kiba stood face to face with Sasuke. They stood for a moment, staring at each other. Kiba gave Sasuke a look that clearly said 'go on'.

Sasuke took a breath, glanced at Naruto (who nodded) and then back to Kiba. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior today. I shouldn't have yelled at you, or used those bad words. I'm sorry, and it won't happen again."

Kiba listened to his apology, shifting his weight as he thought it over. He waited so long to speak that Sasuke thought he might actually be mad. He was relieved to hear Kiba respond.

"It's ok. I forgive you. Naruto says you didn't mean it."

Sasuke nodded. "I didn't mean it. Thank you Kiba, for forgiving me."

Kiba suddenly looked sheepish. He looked up at Sasuke and asked quietly, "What happened?"

"I…my mind made me see you as a different person. Someone I'm very upset with. I said all those things to the person I thought you were, not to you."

Kiba's voice was small. "So you're not mad at me?"

Sasuke let a relieved smile settle on his lips. "No, of course not. How could I be mad at you?"

He seemed to accept this after a moment of thought. A small mischievous grin flitted across Kiba's face. "From now on though-," he said, standing on his tip toes and poking Sasuke in the chest, "I am me!"

Sasuke laughed at this. "Fair enough," he said.

Kiba gave Sasuke a rogue grin before turning back into his room. Sasuke was surprised at how easy that had been, but he was relieved. Naruto called his name, grabbing his attention.

"Now you get to tell me what this morning was all about," he said seriously. Sasuke nodded, smiling slightly. He led the way to Naruto's room, closing the door softly behind his friend. Sasuke walked purposefully to the bed and sat down, taking a brief pause to enjoy the incredible comfort only memory foam can provide. Naruto took his seat at the foot of the bed and crossed his legs.

Sasuke suddenly didn't know what to say. How was he supposed to just start talking about something as awkward parents being murdered and crazy psychopath brothers?

"Why don't you start with what happened this morning?" Naruto prodded after a minute of silence.

"Do you remember how Kiba woke me up last night during the movie?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded, grimacing at the memory of the sweaty sock. "Well, I was having a dream when he did. But I guess to understand that you'll have to know what happened..."

So Sasuke proceeded to repeat to Naruto what he had told Shizune, minus the swear words. Naruto eyes were wide, but not with the pity that Sasuke had expected and been prepared to shun. To Sasuke's relief the blonde had accepted every detail Sasuke gave him without interruption or condemnation. Then Sasuke retold his dream, about how he had dodged Itachi's attack, how Itachi had assaulted Naruto instead and how Sasuke had been unable to stop Itachi's weapon.

"I think this morning something finally clicked into place. All this time I haven't really been able to _feel_ anything. But all of a sudden I saw it all happening, and I knew I couldn't stand by and let another person close to me die because of _him._"

Naruto nodded, his fingers fiddling with the blanket covering his bed. Then his eyes met Sasuke's. He held them for a moment, making sure he had the Uchiha's full attention.

"But you do realize that your parents' deaths were not your fault, don't you?"

Sasuke dropped his gaze. "That's what I'm told. And that's what I try to tell myself. But it doesn't change the fact that I chose self-preservation over--"

"Sasuke," Naruto interrupted, "you didn't _choose_ anything. You were asleep when your brother did it! By the time you got to the room, it was too late for you to help."

Sasuke nodded, his eyes still downcast. Naruto waited for any other response but the raven-haired boy before him remained sitting with head bowed. Naruto sighed and stood up, walking over to where Sasuke sat and grasping his wrist. Sasuke looked up then with slight confusion painted over his facial features. When Naruto tugged on his wrist, he stood up and was suddenly enveloped in the warmest embrace he had ever received.

"You can talk to me whenever you want, okay?" came Naruto's voice, muffled by the slightly taller boy's shoulder.

"Okay." Pale arms tentatively wrapped themselves around the blonde boy's back.

Naruto pulled his head back a little to look at Sasuke.

"You are special to me too, you know," he told him with a slight smile. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the sudden announcement, but Naruto complied willingly as he was pulled back into the embrace, both boys' arms tightening around the other.

* * *

Things were pretty calm, considering the events of the day, as everyone sat in the common room. It was also refreshingly quiet, Sasuke noted.

Naruto and Kiba sat on the couch, cross legged and facing each other. Naruto was showing Kiba how to tie knots in his (clean, Naruto had made sure) socks to create a companion for Nar-Nar.

"I want a giraffe," Kiba announced to Naruto.

"A giraffe? Alright, one giraffe, coming right up!"

Naruto went to work on it, stretching a sock for the neck. He finished soon, and held it out for Kiba's inspection.

Kiba held onto it gingerly, shaking it lightly before announcing, "No, I don't like this one. Nar-Nar doesn't like giraffe's."

Naruto let out a shaky sigh. "Okay," he started. "What would Nar-Nar like?"

"I dunno…" Kiba said, thinking deeply. He suddenly lifted his head and shouted in the direction of Shikamaru's room, "HEY NAR-NAR! Who do you want for a friend?"

Sasuke watched with a slight grin as Kiba waited patiently for Nar-Nar's reply. They sat, unmoving for a few moments. Kiba spoke.

"Yeah, Nar-Nar doesn't know what he wants."

"Okay…" Naruto said, grasping for ideas. "How about a mouse? I could make that."

Kiba shook his head quickly. "No. He wants a _deadly _friend."

"Are you sure? I mean, wouldn't Nar-Nar want a…-peaceful friend?" Naruto asked, trying to convince the boy.

Kiba wrinkled his nose in an 'ew' fashion. "No. Why would he want that?"

Sasuke held in a laugh. He could see what Naruto was afraid of. Undoubtedly, there would be a fearsome showdown between the two toys, and one of them would probably end up dead, at least in Kiba's mind. Which would lead to crisis lockdown mode in their house as Kiba mourned. He couldn't blame Naruto for wanting to avoid the whole fiasco.

"You don't think Nar-Nar would want a girl monkey to keep him company?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyebrows.

Kiba gasped, a blush rising to his cheeks at the innuendo. "No! Nar-Nar isn't like that, stop being gross!"

By now even Shika had looked up from his dog-eared novel to watch the scene.

Sasuke was having fun now. "Okay, so would Nar-Nar want a _boy _monkey to keep him company?"

Kiba's eyes widened in panic and he squealed, "NO! Nooo, Nar-Nar doesn't want that!" he insisted, shaking his hands out in front of him. He was clearly flustered and embarrassed.

Naruto leaned in close to him. "How does a dog sound?"

"Good," he eeped quietly, hiding behind his blush.

Naruto smiled, sharing a grateful look with Sasuke before turning to finishing the toy. In a few minutes he did, and he held it out to Kiba for inspection. Kiba took it in his hands, inspecting it carefully. After a moment or two, he grinned. "It's good."

Naruto looked at him expectantly, and Kiba sighed, remembering. "Thank you Naruto," he said exasperatedly.

"You're welcome Kiba. Now, lets-,"

He was cut off by the door to the hall opening and Ten Ten popping her head in.

"He's here you guys!" she said with a grin.

They all froze. "Who is here?" Sasuke asked slowly.

An incredulous look crossed Ten Ten's face. "You mean they didn't tell you? You guys get a new roommate today."

Their jaws fell collectively.

"No one told us…" Naruto started, feeling apprehensive. Just when they needed things to settle down a bit.

Ten Ten glanced down the hall quickly and then back into the room. "Well, he's here now, so there's not much we can do. Just…be nice ok?" she pleaded.

"Of course…" Naruto's voice trailed off as she disappeared from the door.

A few seconds later, the door swung wide open. Ten Ten walked back in, holding a few suitcases, and heading to Neji's empty room with them. Their attention was suddenly brought back to the door, their eyes widened in fear when a voice called out:

"Ah! Your eyes are so wide and full of spirit! Such a radiant expression of YOUTH!"

**OoOo.**

**God dang. That is a long chapter. Its super long as a thank you to you reviewers. The reviews for the last chapter were spectacular, and I hope they stay that way! 69 reviews is a LOT for 3 chapters, so we thank you readers for taking the time. It means a lot to us both.**

**AFF user Ningi was awesome enough to draw us fanart! We are very thankful for the time and effort put forth (And we welcome anyone to draw for us. It's an honor!). There is a link to the fanart in KandKL's profile.**

**Laters.**


	5. Chapter 5

Previously:

Ten Ten glanced down the hall quickly and then back into the room. "Well, he's here now, so there's not much we can do. Just…be nice ok?" she pleaded.

"Of course…" Naruto's voice trailed off as she disappeared from the door.

A few seconds later, the door swung wide open. Ten Ten walked back in, holding a few suitcases, and heading to Neji's empty room with them. Their attention was suddenly brought back to the door, their eyes widened in fear when a voice called out:

"Ah! Your eyes are so wide and full of spirit! Such a radiant expression of YOUTH!"

The room was dead silent, save for the shuffling of Ten Ten's feet from Neji's old room and muffled curses when there was a loud thud, which Sasuke could only assume was a suitcase hitting one of Ten Ten's feet. Sasuke was completely stunned at the new roommate's appearance. The boy was staring wide-eyed at them, mouth stretched in a blindingly absurd grin. He was covered in what could only be termed a onesie gone wrong. Sasuke supposed the color had been intended to be the soothing green of a pine tree but had rather turned out as, or perhaps faded to, the color of mold growing on cheese. Sasuke shuddered as he looked at the boy's face again. There was far too much happiness there to be normal.

Then suddenly Sasuke realized something: he had never been on this side of the situation before. He had been the new guy coming in, seeing things from the perspective of an outsider, so he could understand what Lee was feeling in this new environment.

_Well, maybe not,_ Sasuke thought with a grimace.

He had certainly not been this...radiant upon entering the wing. But this was new. This time he could see things from the other side, from the outlook of a veteran. And, even more interestingly, he could see how the others truly reacted to newcomers, now that he was one of them. He turned to observe his fellow roommates.

Sasuke's eyes fell first on the most obvious reaction of the group. Kiba was openly staring in shock and clutching his new toy to his chest as if to protect it, his mouth hanging wide open in a silent gasp. Naruto sat behind him on the couch with a hand on his shoulder to steady him. His expression was slightly more tactful than Kiba's, although his eyes were still a little rounder than normal. Shikamaru was glaring daggers at the new boy. Sasuke almost laughed at his predictable behavior but quickly sobered at the realization that with a stranger replacing Neji amongst them, there was the potential for some serious tension in the next few weeks.

Ten Ten walked out of the bedroom with a slight limp, effectively breaking up the tense silence that had pervaded the common room when she left it.

"So, you guys, this is Rock Lee." Rock Lee waved maniacally at them upon his introduction, causing Sasuke to shudder. He stifled a smile as he saw Kiba's mouth drop even further.

"He's thirteen and a half--" the sound of a throat being cleared noisily interrupted Ten Ten. "I'm sorry, I guess he's just _thirteen_." She looked at the young man a little strangely before continuing. "He's new to this sort of facility, so I hope you guys will help him get adjusted," she said with a meaningful glance around the room. Sasuke saw Naruto nodded and quickly looked away, snorting audibly this time. Really, the boy could be such a brown-noser sometimes...

Naruto glared slightly in Sasuke's direction before turning his attention to the new boy who was still standing in front of them expectantly.

"Hi, Lee, I'm Naruto."

Naruto jumped visibly as the green-clad boy bounded up to him with a hand outstretched tautly in front of him.

"Hi Naruto! I'm Lee! I'm incredibly pleased to meet you!"

"Um, yeah, alright," said Naruto nervously. He looked around him to find something to distract Lee.

"And this is Sasuke!" exclaimed Naruto, seizing Sasuke by the arm and proceeding to haul him from his seat.

"Uh, hi, I'm Sasuke," said Sasuke less than enthusiastically. It seemed Lee was more than willing to make up for his lack of excitement.

"Hi Sasuke!" he greeted loudly.

Sasuke sat back down quickly, hoping his part was done, but Naruto had taken his moment of opportunity and raced to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Sasuke sighed.

"This is Kiba," he gestured towards the boy still sitting on the floor with no change in facial expression. Lee knelt down and leaned towards him, ruffling his hair.

"Hi Kiba!"

Kiba wrinkled his nose in distaste at Lee's patronizing tone. Sasuke laughed then quickly coughed, hoping he had fooled at least Lee.

"And this is Shikamaru," said Sasuke, turning to where Shika had been sitting only to find an empty chair. The sound of a door slamming reverberated loudly through the room.

"...was Shikamaru," amended Sasuke. Lee seemed unfazed by the boy's abrupt departure. He ran up to the closed door and hollered,

"It was excellent to meet you Shika!" Lee's manners were greeted with what sounded like a menacing growl and something hitting the other side of the door. _Poor Nar-Nar,_ thought Sasuke.

Lee looked over his shoulder at Sasuke. "Is he feeling sick?" he asked loudly. Something else hit the door and Sasuke decided that now would be a good time to get Lee away from Shikamaru's door and out of harm's way.

"Here, Lee, I'll show you your room." He lead him over to the room next to Shika's and stepped inside, Lee close on his heels.

"Huh, I'd forgotten it was empty. I suppose they'll bring a bed in later," mused Sasuke out loud.

Lee clasped his hands in front of him, giving the impression of an excited schoolgirl. "No bed? That means SLEEPOVER!"

Sasuke's eyes went wider than he thought possible. There was _no_ way he was spending a night trapped in the same room with this guy, let alone a bed. _No way in hell!_ But before he could inform Lee of his wishes or lack thereof, Lee was jumping up and down and bounding in circles around him, clapping loudly. Sasuke saw Naruto peek his head in the open doorway, then with a high-pitched "eep!" run the other way.

"Hey!" he yelled after Naruto.

Lee stopped his gleeful bouncing and looked tearfully at Sasuke. "What?"

"Oh, uh," Sasuke stuttered. He had forgotten about him in his haste to prevent Naruto from escaping once again. "Uh, no, I don't think we can have sleepovers. In fact, I don't think they're allowed," he invented wildly. Upon seeing Lee's crestfallen look he awkwardly patted the boy on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll ask Ten Ten when she brings us dinner."

Lee's eyes broadened in anticipation. "About a sleepover?"

"No, no," Sasuke hastily corrected, "about your bed." Lee nodded, then abruptly leaned against the wall and slid down it to sit on the floor. Silence reigned for a full minute until Sasuke cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, I'm going to let you get unpa--" he stopped upon realizing that there was nowhere for Lee to put his things. "...let you get to know your room," he finished lamely, beating a hasty retreat.

"Thanks a lot," he whispered fiercely to Naruto as he passed him. Naruto looked up from his position on the couch and laughed.

"It's not funny!" hissed Sasuke as he plopped down on the couch next to the blonde.

"I respectfully disagree," chuckled Naruto. Sasuke glared.

"Since when do you 'respectfully disagree'? That's giving you far too much credit," he retorted.

"Sasuke," Kiba spoke up, turning around from where he was sitting on the floor to face the bickering boys.

"Yes Kiba."

"Naruto is right. It _was_ funny."

Sasuke glared like he had never glared before, which only caused Naruto and Kiba to look at each other and giggle loudly. "You two could have helped, you know."

Naruto stubbornly shook his head. "Nuh-uh, no way. I had to deal with the _last_ new one."

"Hey! That _last _new one was me!" Sasuke exclaimed heatedly.

Naruto nodded. "So you will understand why I don't want to handle this one."

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. Very unbecoming of an Uchiha. And suddenly he could see hear his father, chastising him about duties and responsibilities to the family name.

Naruto's gentle fingers forcing his chin to move woke him from his reverie.

"What?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly, looking at the blue eyes that showed mild concern. "Just remembering someone."

Naruto traced Sasuke's jaw with his thumb thoughtfully, then dropped his hands and stood suddenly. Grabbing Sasuke by the wrists he wrested him from the sofa.

"Come on. We're going to color," he told Sasuke firmly. "Kiba!"

"OKAY!" Kiba yelled, already running to the table with the markers and paper. Naruto followed him, still dragging Sasuke lightly behind him. Sasuke allowed a grateful smile to surface.

_Thank you, Naruto._

Naruto just squeezed his wrist.

(Section Break)

The breeze felt cool against Sasuke's skin, and he savored the feeling. He sat down on the grass, his arms resting on his knees. He eyes were drawn to their newcomer, Lee, as he took his first steps outside.

Lee's chest expanded wildly as he sucked in a deep breath. "Ahhhh!" he exclaimed as he exhaled. "The air is so FRESH! It makes me want to-"

Sasuke had stopped listening at this point. The kid scared him. He turned his attention to Naruto, who was goading Kiba into a race with taunts like, "Come on, slowpoke!" and "Oooh, are you scared?".

That Kiba would fall for such a blatant attempt to tire him out…

Kiba obviously gave into the bait, and he accepted. Lee bounded over to Naruto and tapped his shoulder. Naruto turned quickly, and jumped when he saw Lee's blinking face a few inches from his own.

"Y-yes, Lee?"

Lee's grin grew. "I was wondering if I could officiate your race!" He posed in such a way that Sasuke was sure he'd never be able to claw the image out of his mind.

Naruto smiled politely, obviously trying to be nice. "Um…sure, Lee. Kiba and I were just going to run to the wall and back…-"

"Nonsense!" Lee cut him off, shoving a wagging finger in Naruto's face. "Why have such a boring race? Now, what a TRUE CHAMPION would want in a race is-…"

Sasuke watched, barely suppressing a smirk as he watched Naruto trail after Lee, who was marking the track of their "champion worthy" race, with a dubious look on his face. Kiba stalked after Naruto, his expression a scowl. His game face. Oh, it was on.

After Lee had marked their course, which included cartwheels, jumps in the air, and hurdles, he lined Naruto and Kiba up at the starting line.

Sasuke laughed. The look on Naruto's face was priceless, and it was time for some payback for earlier. Naruto heard his laugh and glared. Lee was about to start the race, when Naruto leaned up and whispered something in his ear. Lee's eyes narrowed for a moment, before widening with excitement. It was only when Sasuke saw Lee waltzing towards him (and the evil look on Naruto's face), when he realized Lee's intentions.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke winced.

"You must partake in our race!"

Sasuke felt cornered. "Um…well-…My, uh, ankle! My ankle hurts!"

Lee's eyes widened with awe. "Sasuke," he breathed in reverence. "You are so fast that you would lie so you didn't have to embarrass your fellow comrades?" Sasuke was alarmed to see that Lee was almost in tears. "So noble…"

Sasuke was slowly inching away from the unstable boy. Soon, though, the novelty of his excuse seemed to wear off, and Lee hauled him to his feet.

"Uh-AH! My ANKLE!" Sasuke exclaimed, falling to the ground with a dramatic flail.

"Get up you pansy-ass!"

Naruto's shout caused Sasuke's head to snap up. Naruto met his eyes, and raised his eyebrows.

"You're _that _slow? That you're afraid that Kiba and I can beat you?"

Sasuke felt his anger rise, but in the back of his mind, he reminded himself not to fall for the same tricks Kiba did. He settled for a scowl in Naruto's direction.

"Ahh!" Lee exclaimed excitedly. "_Trash talk_! You must accept his challenge now!"

Before Sasuke could protest any further, Lee pulled him to his feet again (ignoring the "My ankle hurts!" cries coming from Sasuke), and dragged him off towards the starting line. Naruto gave a satisfied snort when Sasuke lined up next to him, and Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Ready?" Lee raised his hand in the air. "BEGIN!" he screamed, letting his arm fall.

Kiba and Naruto took like rockets, both sprinting their way down the path, and taking a sharp left where Lee had marked. Sasuke sighed and began to jog down the track, watching with mocking eyes as Naruto and Kiba all out sprinted. He has just made it to the first corner when he heard a resounding cry from behind him. He turned to see Lee, SPRINTING at him with all his might, a competitive gleam in his eyes.

The sight alone made Sasuke's stomach drop with fright. He let out a sound that was definitely not befitting of an Uchiha, and he scrambled into a sprint, trying to put distance between the livid boy and himself.

He surprised himself with his speed as he took off after Naruto and Kiba, even gaining on them. But those two didn't have a rabid psycho spurring them on. A quick glance back confirmed that Lee was indeed, still in chase.

He had caught up to the boys in the cartwheel station. Naruto and Kiba were both surprised to see him so competitive, and Naruto looked slightly happy with his participation. It was only when Naruto saw him give a quick glance back during his last cartwheel that Naruto looked to see the Uchiha's motivation.

Lee was gaining on them, his arms pumping at his sides, his mouth in a tight "o" of concentration. The look in his eyes forced Naruto into a faster pace as he tried to even up with Sasuke. A scream heard from behind him confirmed that Kiba had seen Lee.

Lee watched with happy satisfaction as the boys before him scurried frantically towards the end of the race. Such competitors! In his zeal for officiating, he failed to watch were he was running. His feet collided with a pair of outstretched legs, causing him to hit the ground head first and roll a few times before coming to a stop. Seemingly unhurt, he bounced to his feet and turned to the person who had tripped him.

"I apologize for running into you! But I must race-"

Shikamaru grabbed his shoulders and with a growl slammed the boy into the wall. "Do not cross me," he growled. Shika held him for a few moments, giving a last glare for good measure, before releasing him, shoving him as he did.

Lee gave him a wild look before turning and sprinting after the other racers.

By now, Sasuke and Naruto were neck and neck as the finish line approached. Their legs ached, as did their lungs as they both surged ahead, trying to beat the other. They were a mere three feet away from the finish line when Naruto tripped and fell to the ground, his flailing arm pulling Sasuke down with him.

Sasuke let out a squeak as his body hit the ground at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. Their bodies rolled as one, stopping sharply after a few rolls.

Naruto lay fully on top of Sasuke, his hands on either side of Sasuke's shoulders to hold himself up. His arm shook, and then gave as he collapsed on Sasuke's chest. He laughed softly and Sasuke could feel Naruto's frantic heartbeat and his own together. Naruto's ragged breath brushed against his ear.

Naruto pulled back after a moment, his eyes locking with Sasuke's. "I haven't run like that in a while," he commented wheezily, a lazy grin covering his face. "Guess I'm a little out of shape."

Sasuke felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. "Yeah, me too."

They sat there for a moment, just looking into each others eyes. Kiba's shout of victory as he crossed the finish line broke them out of their trance, and Naruto quickly stood up, pulling Sasuke to his feet as he did. They stood side by side, their shoulders touching as they watched an exuberant Lee congratulate Kiba, who was concerned with the boy's proximity, but proud of himself all the same.

Kiba looked back at Naruto, and Naruto gave him a big thumbs up and a smile. A bashful grin settled on Kiba's face as he turned back to Lee who was still bowing in front of him, in awe of his amazing running skills.

Sasuke watched Naruto for a moment. He was surprised at how comfortable he had been with their previous position. He was confused as to why he had wanted to wrap his arms around the boy.

Why he had wanted more.

(Section Break)

Guilt was racking his mind without mercy. Sasuke blinked resolutely, determined that he would not be so cliché as to cry in his therapist's office; but this feeling was worse than tears. He couldn't block it out of his mind or force it down, like he could his anger, at least not now that he had bared everything to Shizune.

This was his second time in this room, and it certainly wasn't any easier this time around. Shizune had asked him to disclose every detail he could remember about the night his parents had died.

"I want you to tell me everything you are thinking, Sasuke," she had told him. "Everything. Even if your thoughts aren't coherent."

Sasuke had agreed, although he couldn't understand the point of her instructions. However, as he proceeded to talk he realized what she was doing. He hadn't counted on saying everything out loud being this difficult, and he knew she was trying to break his habit of internalizing his thoughts and emotions.

So the session had continued, albeit a bit bumpy at the beginning. Sasuke spoke of what actually happened in the most efficient way possible (which, for him, meant using as few words as he could), and Shizune would stop him and ask him to describe the room, or the color of the carpet, or the noises coming from the kitchen. By the end of Sasuke's rehashing, Shizune knew every detail of the night, down to which pajamas Sasuke was wearing and the number of roses in the vase on top of his mother's dresser.

Sasuke was thoroughly exhausted by that point. He had hoped he was finished, but then Shizune continued her interrogation on a much more personal note.

"What did you think the noises were?"

"How long did it take you to get out of bed and to their bedroom?"

"Did you think about saying anything to your brother?"

Sasuke was now at his metaphorical rope's end. Never had he been confronted with this much emotion and actually had to deal with it. Each question brought him closer to breaking. He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands, elbows supported by his knees.

"Shizune, I can't..."

"Why did you let Itachi leave?" she continued ruthlessly.

A lone tear streaked down Sasuke's cheek, despite his best efforts. He shook his head, unwilling to answer.

"Why did you let him kill your parents?"

At that his anger finally welled up. He raised his head slowly, all signs of guilt and sorrow now nonexistent. Furious black eyes met his doctor's and held the gaze.

"I was half-asleep," he seethed. "I was on the other side of the house!" Shizune continued to stare at him emotionlessly, only incensing him more. He jumped out of his chair and leaned over the desk in her face.

"How was I supposed to know what those noises meant!" he screamed, pounding a fist on the wood of the desk. "I was a kid! I _AM_ A KID!"

And then he stopped yelling. He snapped back upright and backed away from the desk. His countenance changed to one of rage to one of realization.

"It's not my fault," he said softly. Shizune leaned back in her chair and nodded, a self-pleased smile lighting up her previously antagonizing face.

Silence reigned in the office as Sasuke allowed his new-found truth to sink in. Finally, he released a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his hair. Relief flooded his being as he accepted his new mantra.

_It's not my fault._

(Section Break)

It was weird for it to be so quiet.

Kiba was down for a nap, and Naruto was quietly making papier-mâché cranes for Kiba. Shikamaru sat on the floor playing solitaire, and Lee was in his room unpacking.

Naruto cursed softly when he got a paper cut.

The door to Lee's room swung open and he stepped out with his arms held wide. "I am finished," he said with a glinting smile. "I am moved in!"

No one looked up from their activities. Lee looked slightly disappointed, but he perked up when he saw Shikamaru playing cards. He waddled over to where the boy sat and he plopped to the floor.

Shika paused slightly, giving an irritable glance towards Lee before continuing in his game. Lee fidgeted for a moment, before speaking.

"I love cards."

Shikamaru didn't answer.

"Perhaps…" Lee prompted, "We could play a game of cards together! As friends!"

Shikamaru looked up from his game, venom in his eyes. "We are not friends."

But Lee couldn't be deterred. "Here!" he said, picking some of the cards off the floor. "This is how you play King in the-"

Shikamaru had slapped away Lee's hand so quickly that the cards had flown from his hand to the floor once again. His eyes were furious as he glared at Lee. "First you take over his room? His place? Then you expect me to play _cards _with you! As if you could replace him in that too?"

Anyone who didn't know about Neji would be completely lost at that point, and it was obvious that Lee was. Naruto was in between them in a moment, hissing softly.

"You guys! Kiba is sleeping!"

But Shika looked far from appeased. "You cannot come here and try to replace him! You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?" He was practically spitting by now.

Lee was backing away, and he looked severely confused. Naruto put a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, trying to calm the boy but knowing it would be futile.

"Oh, they didn't tell you?" Shikamaru hissed. "They didn't tell you that the boy before you was my best fucking friend? That he lived in _that _room-," he pointed to Lee's door. "-and that _he _played cards with me? They didn't tell you that, huh? They didn't tell you that I was having problems 'letting go', as Shizune likes to say? That I might be a tiny bit upset at your arrival? They didn't fucking tell you that?"

Lee shook his head slowly, his eyes widening when Shikamaru took a step forward towards him, menacingly. Naruto quickly stepped between them and spoke to Shika in a calm voice.

"Shikamaru, you do anything more and I will have to call a nurse in."

Shika looked like he was about to protest, but he resigned with slumping to the floor and setting up his cards again. He gave Lee one last glare before turning back to his game. Naruto went to Lee's side to console him, but he was cut off by the door opening.

Had the nurses heard…?

He was relieved to hear a familiar voice.

"What's going on here?"

Sasuke moved next to Naruto, touching his back lightly. "What is this?" he asked again, looking around apprehensively, sensing the tension in the room.

"Lee, why don't you go unpack some more?" Naruto suggested quietly.

"But I'm done-"

"Lee, just do it. Please."

Lee eyed Naruto for a moment, before resigning and walking off to his room, the door closing behind him. Naruto turned warily to Shikamaru.

"Shika," he started, hesitatingly.

"I can't deal with you yet, Naruto!" Shikamaru interrupted loudly.

"Maybe not," retorted Naruto, "but this isn't about me, this is about Lee. Regardless of what happened to Neji, Lee had nothing to with it. You know that."

Shikamaru glared up at Naruto. "And you?" he asked Sasuke suddenly. "I suppose you're on his side, aren't you?"

Sasuke looked between both boys. "I really don't know what's going on, so--"

"Of course he's on my side," interrupted Naruto. "I'm right."

"Hey!" protested Sasuke indignantly. "Don't answer for me!"

"You're _not_ right," seethed Shikamaru, ignoring Sasuke completely now. "What would you know anyhow?"

"Don't tell me I'm not right!"

"Well _clearly_ I'm not needed here," Sasuke butted in, startling both boys who had forgotten him. He quickly disappeared into his room before Naruto could pull him back in. Naruto sighed, watching his retreating back.

Sense seemed to prevail then as Shikamaru returned to his solitaire game. Naruto knelt down in front of him.

"Shika, I know you're mad at me. And you should be. You have every right to hate me for forever. But this thing between us has nothing to do with Lee. Please, don't make his life miserable for something he had no control over."

Shika paused in his game, then looked pointedly at Naruto.

"I don't like him."

Naruto stood up. "You don't have to like him, you just have to tolerate him." Shikamaru huffed and bent back over his cards, effectively ending the conversation. Naruto would just have to take what he could get.

(Section Break)

Sasuke opened his eyes when he heard the door open and close softly, praying it wasn't Kiba or Lee. A familiar shock of blonde worked its way into his field of vision and he sighed in relief.

"You still in one piece?"

"Yeah."

"So what happened?"

Naruto sighed. "Shika politely informed Lee that he hated him because he was sleeping in Neji's room. Lee didn't know what hit him."

Sasuke snorted and closed his eyes wearily. "I think that's the most I've ever heard Shika say in one sitting."

Naruto stood beside the bed and nudged at Sasuke lightly. Sasuke made a small sound of protest.

"Come on, Sasuke," whined Naruto. "I'm tired! I had to chase those Kiba and Lee all day."

Sasuke grumbled something but moved over anyway, making enough room for Naruto. Naruto laid down on his side facing the brunette. Sasuke could feel his breath wash over his face and smiled. Naruto's presence was a constant source of comfort to him.

"How was it with Shizune today?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and turned his head to the side to look at his friend. "Really good, actually. Exhausting, but good."

"Exhausting how?" asked Naruto, tracing invisible patterns with his index finger on the bedspread between them. Sasuke stayed silent for a minute, pondering how to sum up the entire hour he had spent with her.

"She made me talk more than I think I ever have before," he finally answered. "And about things I never talk about normally."

"Liiike?" Naruto drew out slowly, prodding the boy to keep going.

Sasuke sighed. "Liiike, my thoughts, and how I felt about stuff." Silence filled the air around them.

"So, are you going to start to talk to me like that?" Naruto finally asked, finger stilling it's movements on the bed.

"I'm going to try," said Sasuke after a moment. "But it might be hard to do sometimes."

Naruto laughed. "That's okay, I'll just yell at you until you do."

Sasuke smirked, then turned his body so he was laying on his side. Oynx eyes held azure steadily.

"I know now that they didn't die because of me. It's not my fault after all," he informed the blonde seriously, which earned him a wide grin.

Just then the door opened and a mop of short black hair poked itself in. Upon seeing the two boys, Lee's eyes went wide and a huge smile appeared on his face. He backed out of the doorway while puckering his lips and holding a finger to them. The door closed, and Sasuke glanced at Naruto questioningly.

"I don't know..."

They both laughed lightly, then settled into easy silence as drowsiness began to overtake them. Within minutes they were both asleep.

Asleep, that is, until some scuffling was heard outside the door, followed by a timid knock.

"No Kiba!" Sasuke could hear Lee's voice muffled slightly.

"What? I just want to see Naruto!"

"You CAN'T!"

Naruto stirred awake at the increasing volume of the voices outside the room. Sasuke was already on his way to the door.

"But why?"

"You must not interrupt! They must satiate their young desires for companionship by--"

"Alright! Enough!" yelled Sasuke as he wrenched the door open. Lee looked at Sasuke, then over his shoulder to Naruto who was sitting up groggily, then back to Sasuke, clearly disappointed.

"Let's not scar young Kiba for life, shall we?" Sasuke hissed at Lee, who finally understood. He bowed silently to Sasuke and retreated, leaving a bewildered Uchiha in his wake.

Sasuke turned to regard Naruto, who currently had a lapful of Kiba and was still blinking blearily. Kiba clung to his neck.

"What were you doing?" he asked Naruto.

Naruto hugged Kiba tightly and responded, "Just napping."

Kiba pulled back to see Naruto's face, looking confused. "But Lee said I couldn't interrupt."

"Yeah, he didn't want you to wake us up."

Kiba shook his head adamantly. "No, no, he said you had to sash...sachur...do _something_ with young desires..." he said, struggling with Lee's complex dialogue. Naruto looked up at Sasuke, puzzled. Sasuke immediately blushed and dropped his gaze to his shoe which was busily scuffing at the carpet. Really, if the idiot didn't get it by now...

Then Naruto gasped. Eyes grew wide as cheeks blossomed pink with embarrassment. _And there it is,_ thought Sasuke. Naruto looked positively mortified. Kiba was poking him repeatedly, trying to get a response but Naruto was, it would seem, speechless.

Sasuke spoke up. "We were napping, Kiba." Kiba looked like he was about to argue, but at looking at Sasuke's face appeared to think twice. Instead he just sighed noisily and sunk further into Naruto's embrace. Awkward silence filled the room as two boys looked at everything but each other and hastily tried to lower the temperature of their overheated faces.

"DINNER!"

Lee's overly loud voice broke the tension as Kiba leapt from Naruto's lap and sprinted through the door, making little excited noises. Naruto slowly rose from his position on the bed and made his way towards the door. Nervously he met Sasuke's gaze, then dropped his once more as he drew near. Sasuke cursed Lee furiously in his mind for screwing up the closest thing he had ever known to friendship. He swore, if Naruto wasn't going to treat him normally anymore because of this, he would tear Lee from limb to limb...

But just as Sasuke was sure all was lost he felt a small hand brush along the length of his arm. He looked at the hand, then at Naruto, his face held in a blank expression that can only be attained from years of practice. Naruto looked up shyly through blonde lashes at the slightly taller boy and smiled a bit. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Then Naruto grasped Sasuke's wrist with his thumb and forefinger and started towards the door, tugging Sasuke behind him. The other eyebrow joined the first high on Sasuke's forehead. Then Sasuke smiled in relief. He willingly followed Naruto out of the bedroom to join the other boys for dinner.

They pulled up chairs around the table and Naruto distributed the trays of food out. Kiba glowered unhappily at the presence of steamed carrots on his tray.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto called absently, handing Sasuke his tray.

A door creaked open and Shikamaru walked to Naruto, stopping by his side. He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers, asking for his tray, giving a sidelong glare to Lee.

Naruto nervously cleared his throat. "Well, Shika, I was wondering if you wanted to eat out here with us."

Shikamaru snatched the tray away from him, spilling his juice on Naruto's shirt as he did. "I don't want to," he replied again, tossing another angry look in Lee's direction before retreating to his room and slamming the door.

Naruto looked crushed.

"Naruto…" Sasuke said, touching his shoulder. "Don't let him bother you."

He could see the struggle in the boy as Naruto forced his happy smile back on his face. "I'm going to go change into another shirt."

Sasuke resisted the urge to follow him as he walked silently to his room to change. Instead, he turned to Lee, who was watching the scene intently while chewing his macaroni.

He was dumbfounded at how the boy could take all of the glares and snide remarks and not take it personally.

Lee, oblivious to Sasuke's observing gaze, dug into his dinner with zealous abandon, shoveling green beans into his mouth. Kiba stared at him incredulously.

"How can you _stand_ those?" came the inevitable question. Lee took it in stride, responding around a mouthful of the vegetables,

"Because they make me STRONG!"

Kiba wrinkled his nose at that. "I hate beans. I don't eat them, and I'm strong!"

Lee gave Kiba a huge grin. "But you're not as strong as me!" he exclaimed, taking a huge mouthful to emphasize his point.

Kiba jumped up speedily to defend his name, knocking over his chair in the process. Sasuke proceeded to look on as the boys hastily shoved aside their trays and set up for the arm-wrestling match of the century.

"The winner shall be declared the STRONGEST of us all!" shouted Lee, pumping a fist in the air boisterously. Kiba grinned and furrowed his brows, trying to concentrate all of his body's might into his right arm. Naruto walked out of his room in a fresh shirt just as Lee screamed,

"COMMENCE!"

Naruto watched for a few seconds as the two boys seemed to hold each other's arms in place, Kiba's face waxing red and Lee's eyes turning darker in extreme concentration.

"What's going on--"

"Shh!" hushed Sasuke, patting the empty chair next to him absently without taking his eyes off of the fight. Naruto sat down quietly.

"I must prove to you the strength of my youth!" Lee was now screaming.

"Huh!" screamed Kiba back. "What's 'youth' anyways?"

This drew a huge gasp from Lee, who almost lost the war right then because of his seemingly utter surprise. Quickly he realized his mistake and took up the slack, bringing both forearms back to their original upright positions.

"What is youth? YOUTH? Youth is the essence of you and me! The vigor of youth is priceless!" Lee began ranting to a bewildered looking Kiba. Shikamaru poked his head out of his bedroom.

"Would you tell the freak to SHUT UP?" he hissed. "Really, this is ridicu--"

But Sasuke's loud "shh!"-ing and Naruto's hand motioning him to an empty chair drew him out of his room and onto the quickly escalating scene. Well, almost out of his room...A slightly devious look crossed his face before he ducked back into his room and returned with his dinner tray. He sat down incopiously next to the other spectators, sliding his tray next to Kiba's discarded one.

By now Lee and Kiba had stopped speaking coherently and were apparently trying to intimidate each other with loud grunts and bellows. Naruto leaned slightly towards Sasuke and with a hand covering his mouth muttered,

"So they aren't allowed to play unsupervised."

"Agreed," came Sasuke's hasty reply.

Suddenly it was over. Lee slammed Kiba's fist harshly to the table, causing everything on it to jump an inch. Kiba howled and Lee squealed. Naruto rolled his eyes. Sasuke smirked. Shikamaru sat back in his chair, having just hastily finished the contents of his dinner.

"So you see, young Kiba, vegetables are _important._ They make you STRONG, like ME!"

Kiba growled at Lee and slunk back to his chair. Dragging his tray harshly towards him, he looked down to glare at the contents, until...

Suddenly he grinned back at Lee. "You know what? You're right. I'll eat my vegetables, just so I can beat you. And _soon._" Kiba pointed at Lee with one finger defiantly, then turned back to his dinner and began to rapidly shovel mushrooms in his mouth.

Lee made a triumphant noise from his side of the table. Sasuke watched as Kiba finished his mushrooms with a final slurping noise, then patted his stomach and smirked arrogantly at his new rival.

Then Sasuke remembered...

And he looked quickly back at Shikamaru, who was leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. At the accusing glance, Shikamaru just shrugged and shot Sasuke a lazy smile, then went back to staring at nothing.

"Look, Naruto! I ate them _all!_" exclaimed Kiba.

"Yup, that's great Kiba," said Naruto distractedly. At the uncustomary tone of voice from the blonde, Sasuke and Kiba both swung their heads to find Naruto fixedly staring at Lee.

Lee was staring down at the remnants of his beans, pushing them around with his fork. His expression had turned from ridiculously happy to blank to monumentally dejected within the space of seconds.

Naruto was the first to say something.

"Lee?"

Nothing.

"Lee?"

Blank black eyes looked up from Lee's tray to Naruto's questioning gaze. Suddenly they were filled with tears, and with no warning Lee began to wail.

"Lee, what's wrong?" exclaimed Naruto, jumping up from his seat. He hastened to Lee's side and soothingly rubbed his shoulders. Lee gestured at Kiba, who looked exceedingly confused, and spluttered incoherently. Naruto leaned closer to Lee's face, trying to make sense of the babbling.

"What?" he asked finally. At this Lee proceeded to howl in agony. He threw his arms down on the table and slammed his head into them, causing everything once again to jump. Kiba's juice tipped on its side and sloshed over the table. Lee looked up at the slight noise and, upon seeing the juice, pointed at it and wailed,

"And now this!" This was, of course, followed by even more insistent sobbing.

Naruto still stood beside the shaking Lee, rubbing his shoulders but looking at Sasuke in utter astonishment. It was clear he had no idea what to do with this boy who had been one moment so bent on happiness that he made Naruto look slightly cynical.

And suddenly it was over. Lee sat up straight, and not even bothering to wipe his eyes began to eat again. The room was blanketed in the most awkward, tense silence imaginable. The other boys remained completely motionless until Lee finished his dinner and calmly rose from the table and walked into the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Shikamaru's sigh broke the silence finally. Sasuke slowly turned back from staring at the closed bathroom door to peer incredulously at Naruto.

"What the hell was _that?_"

Naruto just shook his head, still looking astonished and bewildered and shocked all rolled into one. Kiba was still staring at the door, dumbfounded.

Shikamaru stood and stretched, then went to his room. He returned a few moments later with a file in hand.

Naruto glared slightly at him, but reached out and took it. He read a few lines, then gasped.

"What?" asked Sasuke expectantly.

Naruto looked up at Shikamaru for confirmation.

Shikamaru nodded. "All the symptoms fit so far."

"What?" tried Sasuke again.

Naruto looked worried. "Wasn't--"

"Yup." Shikamaru nodded again.

"What?" Sasuke was getting impatient, and quickly.

Naruto shuddered. He turned to Kiba.

"Remember Gaara?"

Kiba paled as his eyes widened. Then he looked again at the closed bathroom door and a look of complete horror crossed his face. "Oh no..."

Sasuke slammed his fist on the table. "Naruto, _so help me_..."

Naruto looked reluctant to even talk about this Gaara, but one look at the irate Uchiha seemed to convince him that it would be beneficial to start explaining.

"Before you came here," he began shakily, "this one boy, Gaara," Kiba visibly trembled at the name, "lived here with us. He... had crazy mood swings. One minute he was deathly quiet, looking like he wanted to kill all of us, and quite convincingly too."

Sasuke's eyes started to get a little bigger.

"Oh, no, believe me, that was the _good _side. He'd switch without any warning. Suddenly he'd be sickeningly happy. He'd literally make me feel nauseous."

"I threw up once," volunteered Shikamaru, raising his hand.

"He would have so much energy during those bouts. He would want to take us all on in any kind of physical competition, which usually resulted in one of us getting really hurt because he was so aggressive. He would get so...so _excited_ about anything and everything." Naruto shook his head. "Let's just say it wasn't good when Gaara was happy."

Sasuke was stunned into silence for a few seconds, busily putting pieces together in his head.

"So, Lee is..."

"Bipolar," Shikamaru supplied.

Kiba made a small whimpering noise when the bathroom door opened, revealing a perfectly calm Lee. The boy walked back into the common room, plopped down on the sofa, and lazily flicked on the television with the remote control.

Sasuke slowly circled around the sofa until he was looking at Lee's face.

"Lee?" he asked slowly. Lee looked at him blankly. Sasuke swallowed.

"You feeling okay?" he put as delicately as possible.

Lee gazed at Sasuke quizzically. "Yes, of course," he replied evenly and turned his attention back to the TV, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened in the last ten minutes.

Sasuke looked back at the other boys, completely stunned. This Lee was neither hyper and sunny nor wailing like a pms-ing woman. How many sides of Lee would they be forced to endure?

Sasuke walked back to the table where Naruto had started to gather the dinner trays together. Shikamaru huddled up close to them and whispered,

"When he's happy he doesn't seem as bad as Gaara was. Maybe his down swings won't be so bad."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru hopefully. "You think so?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I hope so. I hope that was the worst."

Sasuke winced slightly. "I don't think I can deal with..._that_...all the time."

Shikamaru snorted. "Seriously. He needs to grow a freaking pair."

"A pair of what?"

All eyes swung quickly to the innocent gaze of Kiba, who had joined their huddle at some point.

"Nothing, Kiba," Naruto said quickly, shooting daggers at Shikamaru.

"No, really, a pair of what?" Kiba demanded as he was led away before the lazy genius could corrupt him more. Sasuke and Shika shared a significant look and a few suspicious coughs.

(Section Break)

Naruto was shaken out of his light slumber when Lee waved a hand a few inches from his face and whistled a "Woohoo". He blinked slowly, sitting upright and running his hand through his hair.

"What can I help you with, Lee?"

Lee's eyes sparkled. "I was hoping you could teach me how to origami," his voice enthusiastic. "I've seen the birds you have made, and I wish to train myself in the patience it takes to make such delicate creatures." He was surprisingly solemn as he made his pitch.

Naruto coughed slightly, before standing. "Sure, Lee," he said, smiling at him. "Let me go get some paper."

Lee dumped a pile on the table before them.

"Ah, you're prepared, I see," Naruto said, sitting again. He was a bit hesitant, but the concentrated look on Lee's face gave him courage. The boy deserved a bit of kindness anyhow. "Now," he began, picking up a sheet of paper, and handing one to Lee. "You start by folding the page in half…"

Kiba looked up from his toys, Nar-Nar and Garfield ("Kiba, Garfield is a cat's name", Naruto had tried to explain. "Garfield is DOG, not a CAT!" Kiba shouted, clutching the dog to his chest. That had been the end of that), to watch Naruto show Lee how to create a flower. His face turned to a slight pout. He stood and marched over to the table, his fist slamming into the table a little harder than necessary. They both looked up, startled.

"Naruto, come play with Nar-Nar, Garfield and me," he commanded.

"Kiba, Lee and I are doing something. You will have to wait till we're through," Naruto scolded softly, turning back to Lee.

Kiba stomped his foot on the ground. "I want to play _right now_!"

Naruto gave Kiba a warning glance. "Stop it, Kiba. Now go play nicely, and I'll be with you when I'm done here."

Kiba let out an angry shriek, shoving the pile of papers to the floor. Naruto was on his feet.

"Inuzuka Kiba!" he exclaimed. "That is inappropriate behavior, now pick up these papers!" he said, angrily motioning to the papers spread all over the floor.

Kiba glared at Naruto, then to Lee before getting on his hands and knees, gathering the papers in his arms. He dropped the messy stack on the table before stalking off to his room. The door slammed behind him.

Naruto let out a sigh, turning to Lee. "I'm sorry, Lee, where were we?"

Lee just stared at Kiba's closed door.

Naruto nudged his shoulder, gaining his attention. "Don't mind him Lee, it was just a little temper tantrum. Oh! That's an awesome flower!" Naruto exclaimed, examining the folded paper before him. In one try, the boy was almost as good as he was.

"I'm ready for a challenge!" Lee proclaimed, reaching for another sheet of paper.

"Oh-ok then," Naruto was still a little dumbfounded. "You sure you've never done this before?"

Lee's face turned to horror. "It isn't that obvious is it? I tried my best, really I did!"

"No, no, Lee!" Naruto assured him. "This is a very good flower. So good, it seems like you have done origami before…But anyways! Time to teach you to how to make a crane!"

Lee looked delighted as Naruto began a model crane so Lee could see how it was done. He nodded and watched with narrowed eyes, as to not miss a single step.

In the back round, Kiba slipped out of his room and stealthily into Sasuke's. After a few minutes, he emerged again, with Nar-Nar and Garfield on his arms, and a very tired looking Sasuke in tow. Kiba went to a corner, sat down and thrust Garfield into Sasuke's lap. (He had become rather protective of Nar-Nar after Shikamaru had returned him.) He swung Nar-Nar through the air, as if he was flying, and Sasuke humored the boy, swinging Garfield in time with the sock monkey.

Naruto was conscious of the frequent glances Kiba was shooting at him and Lee. Whenever he was caught looking by Kiba, the boy made an exaggerated show of the play, making Nar-Nar back flip while making happy 'whooshing' sounds. Naruto returned his attention to Lee, who was already half way done with his bird.

"That's very good Lee-,"

Naruto was cut off by Kiba's wail when he dropped Nar-Nar, causing the monkey to fall head first to the floor. Kiba hurriedly put his head close to Nar-Nar's limp body. "Nar-Nar! Are you ok! Nar-Nar!"

Sasuke looked half amused, half annoyed by the screaming.

"HE'S NOT TALKING!"

Gods, Naruto just wanted the day to be over…

(Section Break)

Lee stared at the pile of cranes before him with pride. "I have made two hundred!" he announced happily.

Naruto looked at the stack in disbelief. He had taught Lee how to make the birds, and then he had left the boy to his work. He retreated to his room to block out Kiba's frantic cries to Nar-Nar, who was in traction, and Kleenex wrapped around his neck as a brace. Only a half an hour later, Lee had knocked on his door, summoning him to the common room once again.

He had made two hundred cranes. Good cranes. In a half an hour. This boy was a machine.

"Wow, Lee. You are fantastic at this," he commented, inspecting one between his thumb and forefinger. "You're almost better than me…"

Lee perked up visibly. "My new goal is to surpass my master in the art of the origami!" he cried, thrusting his fist in the air.

Naruto let out a shaky laugh. "Ok, Lee, whatever makes you happy…"

Lee inhaled deeply. "Indeed! Competition fuels the mind and the body!" This was accompanied by a hearty chest thump.

Naruto smiled weakly, and was about to make an excuse to retreat to his room again when a knock sounded on the door leading to the hall. Lee bounded to the door and was about to open it when Naruto stopped him, taking his place and opening the door slightly.

"Yes?" he asked the nurse standing outside. She held a large box in her arms, and she seemed to be struggling under its weight.

"I have a package for Uchiha Sasuke," she wheezed, the box slipping in her grasp.

Naruto swung the door open quickly and grabbed the box from her, to keep her from falling on her face. He walked back into their room, dropping the box gently on the table. The nurse followed him in.

"I need to see that he gets it personally…" she said, looking around the common room.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, pushing Lee's hands away from the lid of the box.

Sasuke's head popped out of his door, and he walked out, seeing the box, and running his hands over it.

"It's for you," the nurse supplied, seeing his confused look. "From Obito."

Kiba sprinted out of his room, reaching for the box. "Giiiiiift!"

"No, Kiba," Naruto reprimanded softly, pulling him back. He was concerned by the look on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke's eyes were soft and confused and he took the box in his arms, walking to his room. His kicked the door shut behind him.

"I wanted to see what was inside…" Kiba pouted, folding his arms over his chest.

Naruto shushed him absently, his eyes still trained on Sasuke's door.

(Section Break)

Naruto knocked tentatively on Sasuke's door. It had been over an hour since he had gone in his room, and Naruto was worried.

"Sasuke?" he called softly. He received no reply, and he slowly cracked the door open.

He ignored the voices in his head screaming at him to give Sasuke his privacy, and stepped in, the door clicking softly shut behind him. He froze when he heard soft sounds, coming from behind the foot of the bed. Was it-…? Naruto's eyes widened and he dashed forward, rounding the corner of the bed and halting at the sight before him.

Sasuke sat on the floor, the box beside him, with pictures scattered in a wake around him. Sasuke sat in a heap, holding a picture in his hands, tears pouring steadily down my face. He looked up when he saw Naruto. Their eyes met.

"I-…I can't seem to stop crying. Weird huh?" he said, his face cracking into a shaky smile.

Naruto's mind wasn't caught up with his actions as he fell to his knees and pulled the boy into his arms roughly. He held the boy to him tightly and he felt Sasuke slowly wrap his arms around his waist. Naruto felt Sasuke begin to sob, his face pressed into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto had never felt more helpless in his life, so he held the boy tighter, his nose in Sasuke's hair as he rubbed the boys back as soothingly as he could.

It took a few minutes, but Sasuke eventually pulled back, wiping his eyes embarrassedly.

"Sorry…" he muttered quietly, his eyes on the floor.

Naruto was suddenly very aware that he was sitting on Sasuke's pictures and he scrambled to the empty space beside the boy. Naruto's eyes followed Sasuke's to glance at the pictures that littered the floor. Pictures of Sasuke as a boy…and his family…

_Oh...god…_

Sasuke picked one up, showing it to Naruto. "This is our Christmas picture from last year…"

Sasuke's father stood behind Sasuke with his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, and his mother stood next to his father, her arms linked with those of a tall boy…

"That's him," Sasuke murmured softly, pointing to the tall boy. "That's Itachi."

Naruto let his gaze fall on the boy in the picture. He was tall, and looked to be around 20 years of age. It scared him how this boy looked very much what he had imagined Sasuke would look like when he got older. Sasuke's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"I hate him Naruto. I hate him for what he did to me."

Naruto nodded, his eyebrows furrowed. For the first time in his life, he didn't know the magic words to make everything better.

"But…" Sasuke let out a shaky breath. "This is…the first time I've ever really cried about it…at their funeral, I couldn't…-I couldn't even cry at my parent's funeral."

Naruto was silent. His eyes were busy washing over the various snap shots: Sasuke's first steps, a family picnic, Itachi's graduation.

No one should have to go through this…

Sasuke saw the frown in his features. "This…this is good though right? I mean, I can finally grieve. It's like…it's finally sunk in. They're not coming back…"

Sasuke turned to look when again, Naruto said nothing. Sasuke suddenly felt embarrassed again. "I-I'm sorry. This must be really awkward for you-"

"No, Sasuke…" Naruto silenced him, shaking his head. "I'm just…I'm just so sorry. That this happened."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Naruto leaning slightly on Sasuke's shoulder. They could hear fits of giggles coming from the common room, and Sasuke let the corners of his mouth twitch up.

"It's nice here, isn't it?"

Naruto laughed softly. "I guess you could say so, yeah. It's home."

They heard Kiba's cry of "ATTACK OF THE PAPER BIRDS!" and the sound of fluttering paper followed by a high pitched scream from Lee ("My CRANES!), followed by the sound of Lee's door slamming shut.

_This really is…home._

"You know Sasuke…" Naruto started, his fingers playing with the hem of his sleeve. "Everything will be alright in the end."

Sasuke paused.

"And if it's not alright, then you just know it's not the end."

Sasuke felt Naruto snuggle closer to his side and heard him let out a quiet sigh.

_It's not the end._

**OoOo.**

**Hey readers. So, how do you like Lee? He was insanely (haha) fun to write. A lot of people thought we would put Gaara in. First off, WAY to obvious! Second of all, he's…boring. He's kind a just another Sasuke, and we wanted something to mix it up. We needed some humor anyway. **

**Reviews are awesome guys, keep them up. Special thanks to Fawkes' Feather for giving fantastic reviews every chapter. Love ya!**

**Next Chapter: What you've all been waiting for. That's all I'm going to say. :) **

**Reviews are lovely.**

**Laters.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Naruto, or any of its characters. If I did, the boys would be getting it on. And ninja uniform would be no uniform.**

**OoOo.**

Naruto groggily opened one eye and looked around him.

_Not my room..._

He pushed his body up with a hand and twisted to a sitting position, grimacing. _Definitely not my bed_, he thought wryly as he rubbed at a kink in his lower back. Naruto looked around the room and noticed the opened cardboard box and several scattered photos on the floor. A small part of his mind latched onto a memory but the still sleepy remainder struggled to catch up.

A sigh from his left brought his head swinging around. Naruto hissed in pain and reached a hand up to massage his neck reflexively. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes at the sound and looked blearily up at Naruto.

"Unh?" he asked incoherently.

Naruto continued rubbing his aching neck. "We're never sleeping in your bed again," he informed Sasuke. Sasuke scowled as much as anyone who is half awake can scowl, then closed his eyes again.

Naruto's eyes skimmed the room again, and he suddenly remembered. The pictures, the box—pictures of Sasuke's family. Naruto sighed. Last night had been a long and taxing night. The blonde looked back at his friend, who was dozing once again. Naruto had never seen him look so peaceful. It was comforting to see Sasuke's face free of tension, especially after the anguish he went through the previous evening.

Naruto had no idea what had prompted Sasuke's uncle to mail him a box full of painful reminders of his deceased family. He couldn't even come up with a plausible scenario that would excuse him for doing such a thing. Maybe his uncle just hadn't thought his actions through...Still, though, why would he mail them to Sasuke? Surely he had enough space to hold on to one box of photos.

Sasuke shifted in his sleep and wrinkled his face slightly, curling up his arms by his face. Naruto stroked the boy's dark hair softly. Immediately Sasuke's face relaxed.

Small noises coming from the common room caught Naruto's attention. Suspicious of a Kiba and Lee left unsupervised, he crawled from the bed and padded over to the doorway in his bare feet. Naruto looked back from the doorway; Sasuke's face was scrunched up again, and he was drawing his knees up to his chest. Naruto rapidly looked between the door and Sasuke, trying to decide whether Sasuke's bad dreams or a hyper Kiba required his intervention first.

_Sasuke's a big boy,_ thought Naruto as he turned back to the door to leave. But as he crossed the threshold a whimper escaped Sasuke, and Naruto's resolve crumbled. Within seconds he was at Sasuke side.

"Sasuke," he whispered urgently, trying to shake the sleepy boy gently awake. A soft cry tore from Sasuke's partially open mouth. Naruto watched Sasuke struggling with whatever was plaguing his dreams, and he felt the closest thing to his heart breaking that he had ever experienced. He quickly gathered the slim boy in his arms and raised him upright, holding him against his chest and rocking slightly. The whimpers continued for a few moments, then subsided. Then Naruto felt Sasuke's body tense against his, and he pulled back to find confused black eyes peering up at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked unnecessarily.

"Fine," Sasuke replied automatically.

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "You're fine?"

Sasuke withdrew from Naruto's embrace and, averting his eyes, shook his head quickly. When he looked back at Naruto, his eyes were blank once again.

"I'm fine."

Naruto started to shake his head at Sasuke but thought better of it, rubbing the back of his neck absently. He opted for a mild glare instead.

"You don't get to do that anymore, remember? You have to tell me what's wrong."

Sasuke stared incredulously at him, then narrowed his eyes spitefully.

"You're a brat, you know that?" he practically spat.

Naruto grinned toothily. "So the almighty Uchiha is not a morning person? Wow, I _never_ would have guessed!"

Sasuke crawled grudgingly out of bed. "Your sarcasm is not appreciated," he growled.

Naruto laughed and walked to the door ahead of Sasuke, ignoring the eyes boring into his back.

As Naruto stepped through the door of Sasuke's bedroom, he halted, his eyes soaking up the sight before him. The whole entire room was adorned with tiny paper flowers. They were taped to doors, walls and a thick layer of them covered the carpet.

He heard Sasuke let out a disbelieving noise behind him. They both jumped visibly when there thoughts were interrupted by a screeching,

"HAPPY FESTIVAL DAY!" Kiba and Lee shouted, each throwing an armful of the small flowers into the air above Naruto and Sasuke's head.

The paper fluttered softly to the ground around them, and for a moment the two boys were surrounded by a veil of confetti and their eyes met. The magical moment was promptly ruined, however, when Kiba snatched Naruto's hand and dragged him to the table, showing him the large collection of flowers and cranes that covered the entire surface.

Naruto yawned, and eyed the pile warily. "What are these for, guys?"

Lee bounded to his side, his arms held wide. "It is the day of the festival! I made them as a celebration, to mark this day forever in our-"

Sasuke walked up behind him, swatting the paper out of his hair and punched Lee gently in the shoulder. "Shut up, Lee," he muttered. He turned to Naruto then. "Festival?"

Naruto sighed and brushed flowers off of his shoulder absently. "Not really a festival," he explained. "Twice a year the hospital holds a barbecue type thing out in the courtyard. They let everyone who is stable enough outside at one time. It's kinda nice to see the other patients I guess, catch up on who's out and such."

"Who's out?" Sasuke asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "They let you leave here?"

"Yeah…if the patient receives the treatment well enough and they're deemed fit to live in society again."

"Hey, what's-"

"HAPPY FESTIVAL DAY!"

_Oh no._

Sasuke and Naruto whipped around to see a very irate Shikamaru, covered in origami, his arms folded over his chest, his scowl murderous. His eye twitched.

"What. The. _Hell. _Is. Going. On."

Naruto laughed nervously, grabbing Shikamaru by his arm away from the still celebrating children, helping him dust himself off. "Have some patience today," Naruto said with a crooked smile. "This day only comes around a few times a year for them."

"Lee doesn't even know what the hell it is-"

The door opened and Ten Ten's head popped in. "Time to go-…Good lord, what have you done to the room?" she asked in astonishment, opening the door fully so she could assess the situation. "Who did this?" she demanded, motioning to the mess of origami that adorned the room.

"I did!" Lee exclaimed, bounding to her side, his flashing smile in place. He held out a larger flower to her, bowing as he did. "Would you accept this flower as a token of our friendship?"

The eager look on his face made it impossible for her to stay mad. "Of course I accept, Lee. It's beautiful." She stuck the flower on the breast pocket of her nurse uniform, and Lee's eyes sparkled.

She blinked and suddenly Kiba stood before her, on his tiptoes. "Can we go to the festival now!"

She laughed, gently pushing him back down on his heels. "Only if you can follow me quietly down the hall," she teased.

Kiba nodded enthusiastically, snapping his arms to his sides like a soldier.

"That goes for you too, Lee." She motioned towards Sasuke and the others. "Come on boys."

She walked out the door, Kiba and Lee falling behind her in a stick strait line, looking rather like little ducklings, following her as she zigzagged through the hall. Sasuke and Naruto followed after, as did Shikamaru, who shut the door behind him sulkily.

Sasuke picked a few pieces of paper out of Naruto's hair, absently noting in the back of his mind when Naruto didn't object.

A courtyard full of crazies. This was bound to be fun.

(Section Break)

He could smell it before he even made it outside. The smell of coals and cooking beef. Everyone else could smell it too, causing Kiba and Lee to quicken their pace, pressing against Ten Ten as she exited the hospital into the outdoors. The sunlight was blinding.

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that they had made the courtyard twice as big, taking the fence and moving it out several thousand feet. Good thing too, because even with the space multiplied it seemed like there wasn't going to be enough room. People milled about, holding paper plates and plastic cups, forming gossip circles.

Before Sasuke could blink, Kiba sprinted off, letting out a happy whoop as he did, his arms held out like plane wings. He was surprised when Naruto made no attempt to reign in the boy like he usually did. He asked about it.

Naruto laughed. "He waits for this day all year, there's no way I'm going to try and stop him."

Sasuke realized that both Shikamaru and Lee had already dispersed into the crowd, leaving him alone with Naruto.

"So, do you want to get something to eat first, or…what's wrong?" Naruto noticed Sasuke's slightly apprehensive look.

Sasuke didn't answer, but he shifted minutely closer to Naruto's side.

"Ah, you don't know anyone. Don't worry! I'll introduce you-…" Naruto's voice trailed off as he grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him through the crowd.

Sasuke tripped over his feet as he stumbled after Naruto. He suddenly felt so alone, in this crowded place, but Naruto led him ahead with no hesitation. They reached the line for the barbecue quickly, and they stood in line, Sasuke with his arms folded self-consciously over his chest, Naruto on his tiptoes, scanning the crowd for people he knew.

Seeing no one, Naruto dropped back to his heels, giving Sasuke a disapproving look. "What is the matter with you? This is supposed to be _fun_."

"I don't want to be here…"

"Well I can see that. _Everyone _can see that. Here-," he unfolded Sasuke's arms and put them at his sides. "Just relax, ok?" He pushed Sasuke slightly forward as the line moved.

Sasuke gave him a half-hearted glare, before finally taking a chance to look at the crowd. There were people of all ages, from barely older than tots to people who looked like they were going to be hitting the dirt anytime…There were also, Sasuke noticed far too absently, girls roaming around which surprised him. He didn't even know there were females besides the doctors in the entire hospital.

His attention was called back when a paper plate was pressed against his chest. Naruto had moved in front of him and was receiving a hamburger from a man behind the grill.

"And for you?"

Sasuke looked at the sizzling meat, feeling the warmth radiating off the grill onto his face. Naruto poked him in the side, reminding him to respond.

"Oh-um…a hamburger's fine."

The patty plopped on his plate, and he followed Naruto to a table and grabbed a cup of punch. Naruto then led the way through the maze of people, to a far off corner where sat a large circle of kids that looked their age. Upon seeing Naruto, the group let out a loud cheer of "hello's" and "what's up's". They all scooted over, so there was ample room for both boys. Naruto sat down, pulling Sasuke with him. Sasuke noticed the breezy smile on Naruto's face as he spoke.

"Hey guys, this is Sasuke. He's been here for about…" he looked at Sasuke for conformation. "About a month?"

Another chorus of "hello's" and "what's up's" sounded around the ring. Naruto wiped his hands off on his pants, then settled down, turning to Sasuke.

"Here, let me introduce everyone…"

Some of the group looked quite sane. Others…not so much.

There were three girls sitting in the group, and Naruto introduced them first. A girl whose name was Sakura was seemingly having a conversation with herself, and giving him a weird look to boot. Another girl had held her hand out and shook his,

"My name is Lily," she told him, eyeing him like he was a piece of candy.

Naruto sighed. "No it isn't, you're Ino."

She pouted and muttered "Am not..." under her breath.

A few minutes later, she reached across the circle, again to shake his hand. "Hi, my name is Temara."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he very tentatively reached out to touch her hand. "H-hi Temara."

Naruto shook his head, pulling Sasuke's hand away. "You are not Temara, you are Ino."

"Am not…"

Naruto again shook his head and then motioned to a girl who leaned against the wall. She was shaking visibly, and her eyes shifted around her surroundings as if she was afraid the ground might cave in at any second. If it weren't for the arm that a dark haired boy beside her had wrapped around her shoulders, she probably would have fallen apart.

"This is Hinata."

"Hi," Sasuke said gently, afraid of upsetting the girl into further hysterics.

She didn't respond until the boy that held her gently nudged her, nodding to Sasuke. She looked ridiculously scared, but she whispered a low, "Hi."

The rest of the group was introduced as Haku, Kabuto, Shino (the boy who held Hinata), Kankuro and Chouji. As soon as the introductions were over, the group continued to chat amiably about what had happened since the last festival and such. The topic of Neji was brought up, but quickly ghosted over at Sasuke's urgent prompting. The boy named Chouji got up several times to get in line for the barbecue, and he brought everyone new drinks on his return.

Sasuke was startled to see that Sakura had gotten up from her seat and had pushed Kankuro over so she could sit down next to him.

_Oh, well…better than Lily/Ino/Temara, _he reasoned with himself.

He decided to take that back when Sakura leaned over to him, as if to whisper in his ear, then suddenly pulled back.

"I know, I _know_!" she hissed into thin air. She turned to him to speak, but again, her neck snapped to the side, and she spoke in a fevered whisper, "I _know_ he's hot, but we just have to play it cool, alright?"

She turned back to Sasuke finally, a sickly sweet smile on her face. "So, Sasuke-kun…" she purred, reaching up and stroking his shoulder.

Sasuke looked frantically to Naruto for help, but he was immersed in a deep conversation about who knows what with the Kabuto kid. He noticed that Shino watched the whole exchange with a bemused expression but made no move to help. Sasuke gave him a glare, before daring to look the girl in the eye.

His last thoughts as she closed in for what he thought was a kiss were wondering if there were any blunt objects in their room that he could kill Naruto with.

(Section Break)

Shikamaru let out a sigh. This day was so pointless. Especially now, since Neji was gone, meaning they couldn't run off to a corner and have some fun…

He was in a small group of adults who were heatedly discussing some trivial topic. Shikamaru wasn't even listening to them. It was sad that this was the best company he could find in the whole place. In the back of his mind, he wondered what the others were doing…

As if in answer to his unspoken question, he heard a loud voice announce, "Hello! My name is Rock Lee!" a few feet behind him. He flinched, an irritated growl making its way up his throat. He turned away, intent on ignoring him but then he heard a voice respond just as vigorously, "Hello there! My name is Ebisu!"

_Uh-oh._

Lee then carried on about how nice the weather was for such a fine event, but he was cut off after about twenty seconds. "Hi there! My name is Ebisu!"

Ebisu held out his hand and shook Lee's again. Lee frowned, obviously confused. He continued on in his conversation anyway, this time complimenting the talents of the grillers who had prepared this bountiful feast. He was again cut off, as Ebisu blinked, looked at Lee and exclaimed greetings again, and again he shook his hand. Lee seemed to be clueing in on the situation, as he started to inch away.

"W-well it was nice to meet you-,"

"Ah! Hello there! I don't believe I know you," Ebisu cut him off. "My name is-"

"Yeah, Ebisu, got it…" Lee was looking frantic as he tried to pull away from the man.

Ebisu saw his struggle. "Why won't you talk to me!" he demanded.

Lee was sputtering incoherently when someone appeared next to him and pushed Ebisu's hand away.

Shikamaru had watched the scen, slightly amused. It was about time Lee met someone who scared him. Now he knew how everyone had felt at his arrival. But, Shikamaru he knew his god damn conscience wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't help out.

"Come on," Shikamaru muttered, motioning for Lee to follow him back to his seat.

Lee did, his eyes wide with surprise. He followed Shikamaru back to his seat and stared.

"Shikamaru wishes for me to sit beside him? As friends?"

Shikamaru glanced up, taking in Lee's expression of hope. "Whatever. Now be quiet, please." He pretended to be interesting in the argument between the men, watching out of the corner of his eye as Lee sat down beside him, his expression positively radiant.

Well…there was his good deed of the year.

(Section Break)

"And we have this truck! This truck that can make 'WEE OOH WEE OHH' sounds like a fire engine!"

"No. Way."

"YES way! And there's this train that has its own track, and its remote controlled! So you can tell it when to stop and go…"

Kiba leaned forward in his tiny plastic chair, his eyes wide with awe. "I don't get toys like that!"

The boy wrinkled his nose. "That's because you're _old_."

Kiba's eyes widened in horror at the accusation. "I am not _old_!" he shouted. "I deserve those toys just as much as you do!"

"Nuh-uh!"

Kiba opened his mouth to retort, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Kiba, it's time to go inside," Ten Ten said.

He turned to her, his face forlorn. "Already?" His lower lip trembled.

She sighed. "It's been four hours already Kiba. They need to bring out the next shift of people."

He pouted, but stood all the same. A squeal of laughter erupted from the little boy as the chair Kiba had sat in stuck to his hips as he stood. Kiba blushed with embarrassment.

"Shut up!" he shouted, pulling the seat from his rump with a distinct suction sound. He let the chair fall to the ground and he stuck his tongue out at the still laughing boy. "Meanie," he hissed.

"Alright, come on," Ten Ten said as she pushed him away by his shoulders.

After a few minutes, she had the whole group assembled and they were on their way back to their room. Kiba and Lee followed Ten Ten closely, as instructed, and Naruto, Sasuke and Shika followed behind.

"I don't see what you're so upset about, Sasuke, she's a nice girl. Pretty too, I'd think," Naruto chatted gaily, trying to get the absolutely venomous look off of Sasuke's face.

Shikamaru perked up. "Sasuke got some action? And on your first festival too…"

"I did not get 'action,'" he made the quotation marks with his hands as he spat it out. "Unless you call being MOLESTED BY A GIRL I DID NOT KNOW action. Oh, wait! Should she really be counted as one girl? Because there sure as HELL was more than one up there!" he shouted, motioning to his head angrily. He resumed his pouting stance as he stalked down the hall.

Naruto laughed at him, gently slapping him on the back, and Shikamaru even chuckled a little.

"You gotta have a little more fun in life Sasuke, come on," Naruto chided.

"Yeah, yeah," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Naruto linked arms with Sasuke, as an apology of sorts, as they followed Ten Ten up a set of stairs.

Sasuke refused to acknowledge that this actually improved his mood.

Because that would be wrong.

(Section Break)

After the boys had returned to their wing, they had all plopped down on various pieces of furniture and remained motionless and quiet for a few minutes. Shikamaru eventually got up from his chair and turned on a movie. Kiba made a quiet happy noise when The Little Mermaid appeared on the TV screen and wriggled to situate himself on the sofa, laying down with his head on Naruto's lap and swinging his legs over the armrest. Sasuke looked on from the other side of Naruto, smiling softly when the blonde leaned back against the couch and gently brushed Kiba's hair with his fingers. Shikamaru returned to his chair, only to find Lee curled up in it. Shikamaru scowled, then poked Lee in the side.

"Get up."

Lee looked up at Shika with round puppy-dog eyes. Shika, of course, did not cave.

"It's my chair!" he hissed quietly to not disturb the rest of the room. Lee didn't move but kept staring up at him. Shika felt a little sliver of empathy working its way into his heart and hastily routed all of his willpower to removing it. But when Lee whimpered, Shika's determination plummeted to his feet, much to his chagrin. He crouched down beside the now trembling boy.

"What?" he asked edgily.

Lee's eyes darted from Shika's close face to the television. He pointed at the screen with a small "eep!" and shut his eyes tightly. Shika looked at the screen to find a looming Ursula staring back at him, tentacles in full swing. Actually, she wasn't so much scary as she was incredibly obese...

Lee's fingers gripping Shika's forearm tightly brought his focus back to the matter at hand. Sighing, he reached behind him and grabbed another chair. He dragged it up beside Lee's and sat, leaving his arm in the clutch of a terrified Lee.

Sasuke watched all of this with a smirk. Looked like Lee might be more of a good change than he originally predicted. He settled back to watch the movie, only half paying attention. The afternoon had tired him out more than he would have thought.

The boys watched the movie in relative calm, save for Lee's muffled shrieks. Shika was looking disparagingly at Lee, who by now had smothered his face against Shika's arm. Every once in a while Lee would lift his head a little and peek out with one eye, then quickly yelp and cover it again. Kiba and Naruto had both fallen asleep, Naruto with his head resting on Sasuke's shoulder.

The movie ended, and the blue screen lit up the room, annoying Sasuke immensely. He looked at Shika, who apparently wasn't going to leave Lee. Sighing, he slowly started to move to get up, trying to wake Naruto subtly. Naruto jumped awake, upsetting Kiba's balance on his lap. Kiba's eyes snapped open as the upper half of his body tumbled off the couch. He quickly outstretched an arm to keep his head from hitting the floor.

Kiba looked at Sasuke, then Naruto, sleepiness quickly leaving his eyes.

"LET'S PLAY TAG!"

Sasuke decided not to get up to turn off the TV, instead settling back into the couch once more. Kiba bounded over to Lee.

"Lee! Let's play!"

Lee turned slightly haunted eyes up to Kiba. Kiba poked him before sprinting away.

"You're it!"

Lee didn't move from his position on the chair. Kiba looked slightly puzzled and ran back over to him.

"You're _it,_" he whispered. "You have to catch me."

Lee shook his head, drawing a small indignant noise from the boy bouncing in front of him. Kiba turned to Shikamaru, then seemed to think better of it. He ran back over to couch, where to his dismay Naruto was sleeping on Sasuke's shoulder once more.

"Naruto?" Poke.

Sasuke frowned and shook his shoulder vigorously, but the blonde would not budge. Sasuke scowled at him.

"Faker," he hissed discreetly. Kiba turned hopeful eyes on him.

Poke.

"Kiba," Sasuke sighed. Kiba drooped noticeably. He suddenly felt bad for the boy.

"I'm too tired to play tag. But I'll play something else with you."

Kiba's eyes lit up. "Like what?"

"Um..." Sasuke searched for a quiet game that would not be too mentally or physically taxing. "How about tic-tac-toe?"

Kiba wrinkled his nose. "What's that?"

"I'll teach you," said Sasuke, trying to get up under Naruto's weight. "Go get a piece of paper and a crayon and sit at the table." Kiba raced off to fulfill the instructions as quickly as possible as Sasuke gently lifted up Naruto's head and wriggled free. He rested Naruto's head on the cushion he had been sitting on and watched as Naruto's mouth lifted slightly at the corners.

A quick flick to the ear changed the facial expression. Naruto's hand flew up to the now reddening ear and he looked up irately at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked.

"Sasuke! Come on!" called Kiba from the table. Naruto stuck out his tongue at Sasuke victoriously, then closed his eyes again.

"Nice," muttered Sasuke as he went to join Kiba.

Naruto waited a few minutes, listening to Sasuke tell (and repeat twice) the rules of tic-tac-toe to Kiba. It was only when he heard the scribbling on crayons on paper that he allowed himself to sit up from his spot on the couch and watch over the back, spying on the two.

Kiba sat on his knees on a chair, leaning nearly his whole body over the table as he watched Sasuke take his turn with intense concentration. Sasuke rested his head on his hand, trying to stay focused on the game as Kiba thought out his move.

It went on for a few minutes, Sasuke winning most of the games, except for the few times that Kiba was lucky enough for a draw. To his credit, losing didn't discourage him; it just made him more intent on beating Sasuke.

Shikamaru let out a sigh, stretching his arms before standing from his chair. A loud thump was heard as Lee, still clinging to Shikamaru's arm, fell in a heap onto the floor.

"God, let me go," Shikamaru muttered in an irritated tone, jerking his hand away from Lee's vice-grip.

Then both he and Lee went (well…one stalked, the other bounced) to their respective rooms, shutting their doors to get ready for bed.

The Kiba and Sasuke hardly noticed this, however.

Ten games and four pieces of paper later, Kiba let out a triumphant squeal. "I win!" he exclaimed, pointing to the page excitedly.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, and he examined the paper. "Um…Kiba, no you didn't, I won."

"No! I won on the across, see!" Kiba pointed to the line that contained two "x's" and an "o".

Sasuke frowned. "Kiba, that's my "o"."

Kiba shook his head desperately. "No, no! That's an "x". I was just really sloppy when I did it!"

Sasuke snorted, folding his arms over his chest. "Kiba, the circle is blue, and you're using red crayon."

Naruto watched from his spot, ready to intervene if Sasuke got too irritated.

Kiba sat still in thought for a second before exclaiming, "Look!" and pointing to the far corner of the room. Sasuke turned to look, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Kiba reach across and mark a hast "x" over Sasuke's "o".

"See!" he again pointed to the sheet.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment with an indescribable look on his face, and Naruto began to stand, to separate the soon to be feuding boys. He was shocked back into his seat, however, when Sasuke burst out laughing.

It wasn't an all out guffawing--that would be very un-Uchiha--but it was still a surprise. He laughed almost to himself, shaking his head as he did, seemingly unbelieving of the events that had just occurred. Finally, his laughter subsided, and he turned to Kiba, with a little smile said,

"Ok, Kiba, you win."

Kiba paused for a moment, not believing that Sasuke had let him get away with it.

Sasuke was still smiling. "Just don't get caught next time, ok?"

Kiba's face split into a grin. "Okay!"

They both hunched over the table, Kiba drawing a grid on a new piece of paper, and they played again.

Naruto was dumbfounded by the maturity Sasuke had handled the situation. It wasn't as if Sasuke was a complete child, but he had handled it so well.

_So…humanly. _

The Sasuke of last week or the week before would have probably snapped at Kiba, telling him to grow up and stop acting like a child. But he hadn't. The realization hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.

_Sasuke is getting better._

He was learning to deal with his emotions in a healthy way, which caused him to be more gracious and understanding. And mature. And he definitely hadn't had another hallucination…

_Is Sasuke going to leave…? No, he can't leave! He-he just got here!_

He thought over his words earlier in the day.

If the patient receives the treatment well enough and they're deemed fit to live in society again. Then they're released.

Sasuke was going to leave. Soon. And Naruto never would.

This new knowledge gnawed at his stomach and he suddenly felt queasy. Just when…just when things were looking up for him. Just when…he had begun to look at the boy in a different way. He was going to leave, and Naruto never would. He would be stuck in this prison forever.

Alone.

Over at the table, Kiba let out a loud yawn, his mouth opening wide.

"You should go to bed, Kiba. We'll play more tomorrow," Sasuke said, laying his crayon on the table.

Kiba nodded, suddenly sleepy. "G'night Sasuke." Sasuke nodded. "G'night Naruto," he added, then bellowed, "G'night Lee and Shikamaru!" He slowly trudged to his door and the door shut quietly behind him.

Sasuke smiled again when he heard the groan of Kiba's bed as the boy collapsed on it. His attention was drawn when Naruto stood from the couch and made his way to the bathroom.

"You ok?" Sasuke asked quietly, seeing the furrow of Naruto's eyebrows.

Naruto's head snapped up. "Yeah, just gotta pee."

He shut the bathroom door behind him, and Sasuke forced himself to think nothing of it as he let his head rest on the table, closing his eyes.

(Section Break)

Naruto got to the toilet and fell to his knees with a thud, his head hanging in the open mouth of the bowl, waiting for his nausea to pass. He could feel his stomach twisting into knots, and his breath was shallow as he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain to pass.

But his brain wouldn't shut up.

_He's leaving. Without you. And he's not the only one, everyone else will leave eventually too. But not you, oh no! You're hopeless! You're stuck here, _alone, _forever._

His eyes opened with an effort, and he stared at the pool of water below him. He would be alone. Time would pass, people would be moved. But because of his condition, his god damn condition, he couldn't ever leave the hospital. Unless…unless he actually succeeded once.

The water in the bottom of the toilet was beginning to look real friendly.

No, this wasn't one of his attacks. He was in control of himself now; there was no voice in the back of his head forcing him to move. And although part of his mind registered that he was thinking about committing the very thing he was held to prevent, the other part was screaming in pain.

Pain in his stomach. Pain in his heart.

His mind was working at one hundred miles per hour now. What would happen to Kiba?

_Oh, he'll find someone else to clamp on to._

What about Shizune? Would she get in trouble for failing in her case?

_Why do you care? You'll be dead._

What about Sasuke?

_Why the hell would he care! He's getting out of this shit heap within a few weeks. He'll forget about you within days of tasting freedom._

This hurt Naruto a little, but his mind wouldn't stop.

Will I be able to keep my head down? Can I ignore my survival instincts long enough…?

_Only one way to find out. _

Oh god, this is insanity.

He ignored the screams in his mind about how unhygienic this was as he stared into the pool of water below him. It was a small amount. But enough. The pain in his chest was making it hard to breath.

_It looks clean, _he reasoned with himself, skimming a finger quickly across the surface of the water. It splashed up lightly against the sides of the toilet bowl. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he began to lower his head.

But just as his nose touched the water, a noise from the doorway halted his movement.

(Section Break)

Sasuke stood outside the bathroom door, listening intently with his ear almost touching the wood. Naruto had been in there far too long to be just be relieving himself, and due to the lack of noise, Sasuke knew he wasn't...doing other stuff. Sasuke frowned and reached a hand towards the doorknob. Just then he heard the reassuring "clink" of the toilet seat being lifted and he breathed a small sigh of relief.

But no other sounds could be heard. Sasuke pressed his ear completely to the door this time. He heard nothing for a few moments, then the faint lapping of water against porcelain. Sasuke wrinkled his forehead in confusion. Brows furrowed further when a deep inhale could be heard, followed by the slight ruffling of fabric shifting.

Unable to stave off his curiosity any longer, Sasuke twisted the knob in his hand and swept into the bathroom, hurriedly taking in the scene. Naruto was perched over the toilet with his face hanging precariously close to the water, one arm hugging the toilet tightly and the other arm crooked up behind his head, holding it down. He continued to stare into the white bowl, unaware of Sasuke's presence. To Sasuke's alarm, Naruto was lowering his head slowly. Just as the tip of the blonde's nose touched the surface of the water Sasuke slammed the door shut.

Naruto jumped up hastily.

"Naruto, what..." Sasuke started to ask bewilderedly.

"NOTHING!" yelled Naruto, far too loudly. Then, seeming to realize his slip, he added more quietly, "I—I fell asleep!"

Sasuke still stood in the same place, unable to move. Slowly it was dawning on him.

"Asleep?" he asked warily as he started to edge closer, a note of apprehension worming its way into his voice.

"Yes, asleep...I felt sick, and I was going to puke, and then...I...passed out," finished Naruto lamely. _Please believe me_.

Sasuke wished he could believe the blatant lie Naruto was feeding him. But the image of Naruto forcing his head down was burned into his memory, taunting him every time he tried to look past it. Sasuke continued to advance on the boy.

"Naruto."

Naruto refused to meet Sasuke's eyes. He backed away unconsciously.

"Naruto," tried Sasuke again, more insistently. "Tell me."

Naruto's back lightly hit the wall behind him, halting his movements. His eyes darted quickly around the room in search of an escape, any escape, but finding none he looked up at Sasuke. Sasuke gasped silently at the expression in those eyes.

Despair. Complete, hopeless, utter despair lay in darkened blue. Sasuke felt like his heart was ripping in two. He knew that look would haunt him for the rest of his existence.

Sasuke closed the distance between them, standing mere inches apart. Naruto looked up at him despondently.

"Please..."

Naruto whimpered.

"_Please,_" whispered Sasuke, his voice catching.

Naruto's eyes shifted nervously, his mind desperately trying to find a way out of this but finding none. He dropped his chin and mumbled something, closing his eyes tightly.

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked, lowering his head to hear a little better.

"I said," whispered Naruto shakily, then paused to look straight into Sasuke's eyes. "I said, _you're leaving._"

Sasuke creased his brow. "I am?" he asked, perplexed. "Who told you that?"

Naruto sighed, frustrated. "You're not leaving _now,_ but you will." His eyes sank beneath closed lids, worry lines appearing around them. Sasuke regarded him silently, watching as Naruto slowly let his head fall back against the wall.

"Naruto..." Sasuke struggled to form coherent sentences in the midst of his mentally half-formed questions. "Of course I'm leaving." Naruto's eyes snapped open at this. "We'll all leave eventually."

Naruto shook his head unevenly. "You're getting better faster than any of us." Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but Naruto cut him off. "Yes, you are! Face it, Sasuke. The only reason they put you in here was because they were afraid you would snap. They didn't know how you were going to react once your family's deaths actually sunk in." Naruto's words were starting to come rapidly now. "You—they didn't even know what was wrong with you. And now that they know, and you know, and I know, it's not nearly as bad as they all thought it would be. And you're getting healthier every day. And—and you're going to leave! You'll _leave _me alone in this hellhole. Alone. _Alone._"

Sasuke watched in growing horror as Naruto unraveled before his eyes. The boy was panting slightly, his eyes darting swiftly around the room once more, evident of the rapid thoughts racing through his mind.

Naruto's eyes rested on the toilet once more. His face suddenly turned blank, eyes staring unblinkingly at the bowl. Sasuke saw him looking at something over his shoulder and followed Naruto's gaze to the toilet, then looked back quickly to Naruto, eyes widening slightly in realization. Naruto's sudden calm was even scarier to him than his previous hysteria.

"I'm never getting out of here," Naruto stated calmly as though the truth had suddenly become clear to him, voice as impassive as his face. Sasuke was filled with a desperate need to drag Naruto out of his trance.

"Of course you'll get out of here!" said Sasuke, scrambling for some shred of hope for his friend. But even in the desperate situation, he could plainly see that all of the other boys, even Shika, were more likely to leave than Naruto.

Naruto shook his head again, more slowly this time. "No. I'm not. Nothing ever changes. I can't get any better. I can't, Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes darted to meet Sasuke's once more. "I've tried," he whispered brokenly. And his eyes returned once more to the toilet bowl, this time with that same look of anguish. But the growing bit of determination Sasuke read in those eyes worried him more than the despair of before. He sought quickly for a way to distract him.

"Don't do it," he warned when Naruto's leg twitched in the direction of the toilet.

"I have to," Naruto said, in that same eerily calm voice.

"I'm faster than you," said Sasuke in an almost teasing tone, trying again to snap Naruto back to his old self. Naruto just looked calculatingly at him, then took a quick step. Sasuke jumped to block him.

"Don't," he warned again in a dangerous tone. Naruto glanced at him one last time before planting his right foot down and quickly darting to the left in an attempt to evade. Sasuke swiftly grabbed him by his shoulders and, turning them both slightly, slammed him bodily into the wall adjacent to the door. Naruto's head hit the wall hard.

"I said DON'T!" Sasuke ground out furiously. Naruto growled and struggled, flailing his arms and kicking violently. Sasuke shoved his body against him, trying to subdue the boy. Naruto continued to thrash, grunting and whining alternately.

Sasuke watched the blonde desperately trying to escape his grasp. He had never known sorrow like this, not even with his parents. That was grief over loss. This was different; this was grief over the prospect of loss, of an _almost_ loss. Naruto had been so close...

"Why are you doing this?" Sasuke demanded, suddenly furious with the blonde. Naruto moved fiercely against the body restraining him without responding. Sasuke crushed his body to the wall with even more force, rendering him motionless. Naruto screamed in frustration.

"What were you _thinking?_" Sasuke hissed, his voice slowly gaining in volume. "How could you even _think _of doing what everyone has tried so hard to prevent? And how could you be so _selfish_? Think about Kiba, what the HELL would he do without you? And me! You're the closest thing I have EVER had to a friend, and you want to ruin all that over some stupid phase you're going through? You are way to god damn important to all of us, Naruto, how can you not see that? You're the glue that holds this pathetic excuse for a family together!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes spitefully. "Ok, so I'm the glue. I'm the one who keeps everyone happy and in line. What about when all of you leave me. What then? What the hell have I done to deserve that?"

"Shut UP!" Sasuke screamed, slamming Naruto's shoulders into the wall again for good measure. "Just shut up! Just listen to yourself! You're acting insane!"

Naruto stopped struggling, Sasuke's words hitting him hard. They both stood in suspended silence. Sasuke could see the chain of emotions running through Naruto as he began to realize what he had almost done, the boys face contorting in fear, then anger, then sorrow.

"Sasuke..." he said breathlessly, turning his eyes to face black ones. "Sasuke, I'm so sorry! Oh my god, I'm so--"

"Shh," Sasuke whispered soothingly, suddenly filled with compassion as Naruto's eyes began to brim with tears.

"I almost...I didn't even think! Oh my god..." A single tear worked its way down Naruto's cheek. Sasuke brushed it away with his thumb.

"Sasuke, I am so sorry," whispered Naruto, his eyes suddenly smoldering in intensity. "I'm a horrible friend." Sasuke shook his head, but Naruto continued anyway. "I would have caused you so much pain..."

Sasuke's hand never left the blonde boy's face. He caressed it gently, lovingly.

"Naruto, stop."

"I just couldn't stand the thought of not having anybody..."

And it was the slight break in Naruto's voice that did Sasuke in. He leaned down, closing his eyes as his nose gently rubbing against Naruto's. Chastely he covered Naruto's lips with his own. They stood for a moment; their lips pressed together, Sasuke's hands holding Naruto up by his shoulders. He pulled back slowly, his eyes fluttering open. Naruto stared at him with a shocked look.

"Sasuke-…what was-,"

"I don't know," Sasuke whispered huskily, leaning in again. "Please…please let me do it again."

Naruto blinked, the thick tenor of Sasuke's voice causing the hairs on his neck to stand up. His breath was uneven.

"O-okay."

Sasuke leaned in again, pressing his lips against Naruto, more urgent this time, knowing he had the boys consent. His eyes were closed again, and he almost let out a relieved sigh when he felt Naruto cautiously kiss back. Sasuke's hands moved to cup Naruto's face, his thumbs rubbing over the whiskers on his cheeks as he pressed Naruto against the wall gently.

Naruto sighed shakily into the kiss, his hands finding their way to Sasuke's hips. He moved his lips against Sasuke's, deepening the kiss. Somehow, this didn't feel wrong. A hand on the back on his neck pushed him deeper into the kiss, and he felt Sasuke's tongue lick his bottom lip carefully. He parted his lips and he felt Sasuke's tongue flick against his teeth.

Everything was slow, careful, exploring.

Sasuke could feel his heart beating painfully hard in his chest. He tongue coaxed itself in Naruto's mouth, and he heard Naruto let out a loud exhale when their tongue's brushed together.

He pulled back, his hands still cradling Naruto's face. Naruto's eyes were still damp with tears, but his cheeks were flushed and his breathing was slightly fast. Sasuke rested his forehead on Naruto's, feeling Naruto's warm breath wash over his face.

It was intoxicating.

"Sasuke, what are we doing?" Naruto asked quietly, one of his hands moving from Sasuke's hip to gently trace along the boy's pale cheek.

Sasuke shook his head slightly, his nose nudging against Naruto's as he did. "We should…get out of the bathroom," he said softly, placing another gentle kiss on Naruto's pouting lips.

Sasuke opened the door a little and peeked around the corner. He sighed with relief when he found the common room still to be empty. Frankly, he was surprised that they hadn't drawn even Kiba out of his room with all the noise they had been making. Sasuke threw the door open the rest of the way and led the way out with Naruto closely in tow. The boys rushed to Naruto's room with silent feet.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, however, tension descended quickly. Sasuke stood in front of the doorway, regarding Naruto as he awkwardly sat down on the bed. Naruto fidgeted nervously. Neither was entirely sure how to act, now that things were...decidedly different.

Sasuke was the first to break the silence. He sighed audibly, dark eyes taking in Naruto's self-conscious form sitting stiffly. Naruto looked up at him innocently. Sasuke smiled a little and made his way over to the bed, sitting down with his back against the wall. Hooking an arm around Naruto's waist he helped the boy into his lap, settling him between slightly open legs. Naruto smiled warmly at Sasuke and leaned against his solid chest. They both relaxed in the now comfortable silence, each lost in his own thoughts.

Sasuke tried hard to force unhappy memories out of his mind as he held Naruto. He wanted so badly just to think about what they had just done, and what they might do next, and what that meant for them; but the nagging questions kept pushing against the barriers he had set up, edging into the front of his mind until he could no longer ignore them. He felt his heart speed up as he thought of what had transpired, of the rush of countless emotions he had experienced in a matter of minutes. Naruto was right. He was healing.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke questioningly as he felt Sasuke's heart pounding. Sasuke leaned his head down and closed his eyes.

"Never, _never_ do that to me again," he said wearily. Naruto sat still, not sure how to respond. He did not want to cheapen the moment by heartily agreeing. Because the truth was, he _had_ wanted it all to end.

But, more than anything, he did not want to be the cause of renewed grief in Sasuke.

So, after a few moments of silence, Naruto nodded against Sasuke's chest. Sasuke exhaled softly against his hair. He shifted slightly, his hands pausing on Naruto's forearms.

"What triggered it?"

Naruto turned around to face Sasuke. "Triggered what? Oh, you mean my…well…the thing with Kiba and the tic-tac-toe…you handled it so well—look can we just not talk about this?" Naruto said, his eyebrows furrowing.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "You just tried to kill yourself. You think I'm just going to ignore it? Let it go?"

Naruto looked down at the sheets. "Well I was kinda hoping…"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, calling the boy's attention. "I…I can't forget this as long as I know that you're having suicidal thoughts. You know that."

"But I'm not!" Naruto protested, his hand thumping against Sasuke's chest weakly. "I'm not anymore. It was just…a moment of weakness."

"I want to believe that, I really do, Naruto."

"Then believe me," Naruto said, their eyes locked in a solemn gaze.

Sasuke sighed, dropping Naruto's hand from his. "Just-…just promise me that you will never, ever do that-," he struggled at the thought, "Ever again."

"I already said I wouldn't, Sasuke. Please believe me." His expression changed as he scooted up closer to Sasuke, and his voice became a murmur. "I wouldn't lie to you…"

Naruto then took Sasuke's face between his hands, studying his face carefully. His thumbs smoothed over the skin at the edges of Sasuke's eyes, causing him to close them and lean in to the touch. Sasuke heard Naruto lean closer still, and he could feel warm breath spreading across his cheeks. Naruto then rubbed his thumb gentle over Sasuke's lower lip, silently marveling over its fullness under his fingers.

Sasuke felt his breath catch in his throat as Naruto leaned in and kissed him, moving his lips against Sasuke's in a coaxing manner. The blonde nipped Sasuke's lower lip, tracing his tongue over the spot right after. Sasuke's lips parted obediently and Naruto slipped his tongue in, exploring Sasuke's mouth for the first time. Their tongues brushed together, and Sasuke exhaled loudly, his hands gripping the front of Naruto's shirt.

The kiss was somewhat clumsy and wet, but neither boy noticed. Even then, their movements were slow and careful as they kissed.

Sasuke finally pulled away, their eyes still locked. "We should sleep…"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed quietly, stretching his arms out before plopping down on the mattress.

Sasuke eased himself down beside Naruto, unconsciously letting out a sigh as he sank into the soft mattress. He could feel the light from behind his eyelids, and he groaned. "The light-…I'm not getting it."

Naruto reached up his hands and clapped twice. The lights flickered off.

"You have a clapper..." Sasuke's voice was incredulous.

"Hey, I can't have any protruding surfaces to hit my head against,"Naruto pointed out, snuggling up against Sasuke in the dark.

"That's bull," Sasuke muttered. "Why do you get all the perks…nice mattress…clapper lights…"

"I suppose it just comes with the territory. Being suicidal and all." Naruto's voice dripped in sarcasm as he pulled the covers over both of them.

Sasuke let out a 'hmph', but left it at that. After a few minutes, he heard the soft snoring by his side. He thought to himself how lucky Naruto was to be able to fall asleep so easily.

Sleep never came easy for Sasuke, but tonight was the worst. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling the warmth of Naruto on his chest. One question was plaguing his mind.

Should he tell anyone?

The obvious answer was yes, he had to tell some one. A doctor, a nurse, anyone. It could mean something important for Naruto's mental illness, but it would for sure keep him under closer supervision.

But another side of him argued that there was no need to involve anyone else in this. All they would do is take Naruto away and test him, run him through more and more trials, looking for an answer that wasn't there. And, after all, Naruto had promised not to do it again, right?

_Yeah, but you can't know that for sure, _Sasuke thought to himself. After about an hour of debate in his mind, he decided.

He would tell a doctor first thing in the morning. Naruto would be angry, but it was for his own good. There was no way Sasuke was going to lose him.

He let out a troubled sigh, settling down into the bed, the flutter of Naruto's breath on his neck lulling him into a fitful sleep.

(Section Break)

He awoke a few hours later cocooned in blankets. His eyes slowly blinked open, and he fought a yawn as he sat up in the bed. He turned to see Naruto-…

It took a few seconds for Sasuke to comprehend, but when it did, his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach.

Naruto was gone.

He scrambled out of the bed in record time, his heart racing, his mind whirling with images of the worst. He dashed out of the room, making it to the bathroom in three bounds. He threw the door open and snapped on the light.

No Naruto.

He spun around, his eyes scanning the common room for any sign of the blond. He walked quickly through the room, checking around the couch, just to make sure. His mind was racing so fast he couldn't even make sense of it.

_He promised-!_

_What could he have used…-_

_Oh, God, this is all my fault-_

_Where the HELL is he!_

He could barely breathe as he finished checking under the couch. That was it. He ran to the wall that held the door leading to the hall way, his hand aiming for the red buzzer. His fingers were mere inches from the button when the door swung open, causing him to jump out of his skin, and at least a few feet back.

Naruto walked through the door casually, flicking something on his nail away as he walked in. He heard Sasuke's loud gasp, and his eyes shot up, taking in the boy before him.

Sasuke stood on shaky legs, clutching his heart. His eyes were as wide as Naruto had ever seen them, and his breathing was erratic.

The door swung shut behind Naruto, whose face was taken over with worry.

"Sasuke! What happened?"

Sasuke strode forward quickly, grabbing Naruto and pulling him into a fierce embrace, crushing Naruto's body to his own. He pressed his face into Naruto's neck, trying to calm his quick breaths. Naruto held him, and he could feel Sasuke's body shaking. Sasuke was chanting a soft mantra of, "Oh god, oh god, oh god" near his ear, and Naruto feared the boy would collapse.

Naruto quickly led him to a chair, motioning for him to sit, but Sasuke wouldn't let go of him.

"Sasuke, what's wrong? What happened?" Naruto asked, thoroughly anxious at seeing his friend so distraught.

Sasuke gulped in air as he spoke, his grip never lessening on Naruto. "I woke up and you weren't there—I thought you had gone and hurt yourself—while I was asleep—I panicked."

This was all said in one fast breath and Naruto had to strain to catch it all. "Oh, Sasuke, I'm sorry," Naruto whispered, his hand holding the back of Sasuke's head. "I didn't mean to worry you, I didn't think you'd wake up…—here," Naruto pushed Sasuke down to sit in the chair. He waited a few moments for Sasuke to calm himself before continuing.

"I woke up a few hours ago, and I realized that I really needed to talk to someone about this, and well, you were sleeping…so I got up and called Shizune. She came to the hospital, and I told her what happened."

_Oh no, _Sasuke thought.

Naruto must've seen his face, because he petted his arm in a soothing matter. "Don't worry, I'm staying. Shizune said it was good for me to tell her, and that she wanted to see me twice more each week. She said she wouldn't let the doctors run tests on me this time, and she told me-…well," Naruto fought a blush rising to his cheeks.

Sasuke made a face, curious now.

"She said to stay close to you. Because you would keep me safe."

They sat in silence for a moment, Sasuke soaking in the new information, Naruto rubbing his shoulder as soothingly as he could.

"It's early," Naruto said softly. "We should go back to bed." He took Sasuke's hand and helped pull him to his feet.

They trudged back to Naruto's room, shutting the door behind them. They both collapsed onto the bed, and Sasuke pulled the covers around them.

"I hate you," he muttered softly, his eyes fluttering shut in sleep.

Naruto smiled, pushing Sasuke's bangs out of his face before settling down. "No you don't."

Naruto curled up against Sasuke's side, closing his eyes too. Who would have thought that he would ever find a person like Sasuke?

_Even here, on the top floor._

**OoOo.**

**Hey readers! As you might have noticed, mirandler43 and myself went on a brief hiatus from writing to thoroughly map out what we wanted to have happen in our story, and how we wanted to end it. Now we actually have a plan! We managed to crank this chapter out in three days, knowing that we had kept you guys waiting a bit. So, we thank you all for being patient and all that jazz.**

**We got 35 reviews for chapter 5, which is fantastic. Ten more than we got for chapter 4, in fact it's the most we've ever gotten. You guys are great! Keep it up!**

**Next chapter: The boys do some…exploring. **

**Laters.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: We don't own 'em.**

**OoOo.**

Several hours later found Sasuke wandering sluggishly from Naruto's room, using the heel of his hand to rub the sleep from his eyes. He made his way into his bedroom and groped under the bed for his suitcase. Pulling out a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and a bar of soap, he made his way back out of the room and into the bathroom.

It was days like these he was glad the bathroom did not have a mirror. He did not even want to think of how disheveled he must look. Last night had been long, and gruesome, and exhausting. It had also been elating. Sasuke smiled slightly, remembering Naruto kissing him, but then frowned again. Mostly the night had been exhausting. Even after Naruto had returned from talking to Shizune, Sasuke had slept fitfully, jolting awake every thirty minutes or so and laying back down in relief at finding Naruto still at his side. He was sure he looked awful, bags under his eyes, hair matted and all.

Sasuke wet his toothbrush and squirted some toothpaste on it. Slipping it inside his mouth, he absently scrubbed his teeth, wondering what time it was since no one else seemed to be awake. A warm hand on his shoulder startled him. He turned quickly to regard Naruto, who had walked to his side, yawning widely.

"Morning."

"Moahig," Sasuke mumbled back unintelligibly around foamed toothpaste. Naruto grinned sleepily at him. Sasuke leaned forward and spit into the sink, then turned on the water and rinsed out his mouth. Naruto ripped open two rectangular packages and removed two pieces of gauze-like cotton. He slipped them over his two index fingers and proceeded to start rubbing them over his teeth. Sasuke watched curiously as Naruto finished the top row with one finger and started on the bottom with the other. When he finished, he slipped the glove-like sleeves off and tossed them in the wastebasket. He produced his own bar of soap and proceeded to scrub his hands meticulously under hot water.

Sasuke couldn't stay silent any longer, his curiosity getting the best of him. "What...?" was the only question his still sleep-hazed mind could conjure up.

Naruto glanced over at him, unaware that he was being watched, but once he realized what had prompted the brunette's question he gave an odd smile.

"I can't have a toothbrush," he supplied. Sasuke still looked confused. Sighing, Naruto took the toothbrush from Sasuke's lax hand and held it up in front of his face, then pointed at the handle. Realization dawned on Sasuke's face. Naruto smiled again, trying to keep the atmosphere normal. He rinsed off his hands and turned off the water with his forearm.

"Shit, I forgot my towel!" he suddenly exclaimed, starting to run out of the bathroom. Sasuke grabbed his arm.

"Here, just use mine," he said, waving his blue towel at Naruto. Naruto looked back incredulously at him with wide eyes.

"Hell no! Do you have _any idea_ how many germs are _in_ that thing!"

"Funny, germs didn't seem to be bothering you last night," Sasuke replied, glancing meaningfully at the toilet. Naruto glared evilly at him but after failing to come up with a suitable comeback, turned angrily and left the bathroom.

Sasuke let himself laugh then. He returned to the sink and turned on the water. Splashing some on his face, he lathered his hands in soap and rubbed them over his face.

"Sasuke."

He turned to the doorway to see Naruto facing away from him but gesturing for him to come. He followed him out into the common room, finding Kiba and Lee sitting on the couch, facing each other. Lee was as calm as could be, with no hint of emotion on his face. Kiba, on the other hand, was completely red and pressing both of his hands to his mouth, apparently trying to contain himself. Sasuke stood watching the two for a few seconds before he was noticed by Kiba, who promptly dropped his hands and, pointing, laughed uproariously. Lee grinned in victory and turned to regard whatever had undone his competition. On seeing Sasuke he laughed loudly as well.

It was then that Sasuke remembered the suds now dripping off his face. Naruto started to giggle.

Sasuke scowled and stalked back to the bathroom, quickly rinsing his face. Irritation flooded his senses. He had never been one to handle being laughed at maturely.

A sharp poke to his butt sent him spinning quickly. A mop of blonde darted around the corner of the doorway, laughing gleefully. Sasuke wiped his face quickly and sprinted after the offender.

"NARUTO! You--" he started to yell but stopped abruptly upon seeing an extremely irritated Shikamaru exiting his bedroom. Shika glared at the room in general before leaning back against the doorpost and running a hand over his face sleepily.

"Why," he sighed, "_why_ do you people feel the need to be so damn loud?"

The room was silent for a moment before Naruto raised his hands as though in self-defense, backing away from Shika.

"It wasn't me!"

Sasuke's jaw dropped at Naruto's obvious attempt to hang him to dry.

"Well it sure as hell wasn't me!" he growled.

Shikamaru looked pointedly at him, one eyebrow raised. "Idiot. I just _saw_ you screaming."

Sasuke glared then, retrieving his things from the bathroom before stomping back to his room. Naruto followed him in, laughing. Sasuke threw his soap, toothbrush and toothpaste into the suitcase before shoving it violently under the bed.

All Sasuke wanted to do was go somewhere to cool off. _Damn this place and its lack of privacy!_ He was about to stalk back to the bathroom, where he hoped no one would dare to disturb him, when arms wrapped around his waist from behind and embraced him. Sasuke walked forward a few more steps but stopped, sighing resignedly as the arms retained their firm grip. He waited a few moments then turned, making sure his trademark scowl was firmly in place. Laughing blue eyes met his.

"Sorry," offered Naruto. "You're just so funny to annoy."

"Always an excellent way to pacify me, Uzumaki. Aggravate me a little more." Sasuke's irritation was starting to waver as he watched Naruto struggle to keep his laughter from surfacing. Finally Naruto managed an almost straight face.

"I'm sorry," he tried again. Then he lifted his hands to rest lightly on Sasuke's shoulders and, raising himself slightly on his toes, chastely kissed him. Sasuke closed his eyes, his irritation slowly ebbing away.

Naruto pulled back and raised his eyebrows in question. Sasuke opened his eyes again, smiling reluctantly. Naruto grinned then and laughed.

"C'mon, let's get some breakfast!" he exclaimed excitedly. Sasuke couldn't help but widen his smile. Naruto's innocent excitement was contagious. He allowed himself to be dragged by the arm back into the common room.

They entered just as Ten Ten was delivering their breakfasts to the table. Shikamaru looked at Naruto curiously, then at Sasuke with an eyebrow raised in question. Sasuke just shrugged and hoped that Shika would choose discretion over curiousity, at least for the moment. He had no desire to try to explain what was going on between him and Naruto, especially when he didn't know exactly himself. Thankfully Shikamaru only stared a moment longer before turning to his cereal, scooping out the marshmallows.

Sasuke sat down next to Shika with his own bowl and lightly elbowed him.

"Why do you do that?"

Shika just shrugged, retrieving the last of the rainbow colored fluffs and depositing them on the carpet.

"Don't you like them?" Sasuke pressed, scooping up a spoonful of his own cereal and taking a bite.

Shikamaru nodded. "I do, but...well, Neji never did. He always took his out and demanded that I stop eating mine too." He took a bite and looked across the table at nothing in particular as though lost in a memory. Sasuke let him be, continuing to eat. The noise of Sasuke's spoon dragging against the bottom of the Styrofoam bowl shook Shika from his reverie.

"Just a habit, I guess," he finished with a small smile. The boys sat in companionable silence, eating and listening to the noises coming from across the table where Lee and Kiba were bickering over who could fit the most cereal in their mouths and Naruto sitting between them, trying to mediate.

"I hate marshmallows," Sasuke blurted out suddenly. Shika turned to look at him peculiarly. Sasuke continued to eat, shifting around the marshmallows in his bowl. "Anything sweet, actually. I can't stand sugar."

Shika nodded, although why was beyond him. Sasuke looked up mid-bite to find Naruto listening. As their eyes met across the table, Naruto scooped up a mouthful of marshmallows and shoved them in his mouth with a smug grin. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Suddenly a loud spewing noise filled the air. Kiba's mouth had exploded, sending soggy cereal and milk flying in all directions. Naruto sat in his chair, stone still and soaked. Kiba was coughing violently and grabbing at his throat in frantic flailing motions. Lee, seeing Kiba's distress, leapt out of his seat and wrapped his arms around Kiba's waist, slamming his fists into the boy's stomach in an impromptu Heimlich maneuver.

Kiba was hauled off his feet by the zeal in which Lee was rescuing him. "Breathe! BREATHE!" Lee cried, his fists burying themselves in Kiba's gut again.

Kiba made a face and hand maneuvers that clearly stated that he was trying his best. And then suddenly, a small piece of cereal shot out of his open mouth straight towards Shikamaru and Sasuke. Sasuke let out a yelp as he tipped his chair backwards in an attempt to avoid the projectile, and Shikamaru hit the floor silently, his chair toppling over as he did. Everything froze for a few seconds.

Then chaos erupted.

Naruto let out a high pitched wail, reminding everyone that he was covered in a liquid that had been regurgitated from someone else's mouth. Sasuke was letting out low frequency grumbles as he rubbed his sore elbow, sending death glares to Kiba.

Kiba was frantically trying to escape Lee, who still held him tight, and was still performing the Heimlich, seemingly unaware that Kiba had already spat out the problem. Lee ignored the screeches and flailing arms and legs as he continued to "rescue" Kiba.

"If you just sit still this will be easier!"

"Let me GOOOOO!" Kiba howled.

Shikamaru took one good look at everything that was happening and then curled up into a ball on the floor, pressing his palms to his ears, his face an angry scowl.

Sasuke stood, his mind set on freeing Kiba from Lee's clutches, when he was bowled over by a sprinting Naruto who was frantically shaking his head and wiping his face off with paper towel.

"Ew—ew—ew—ew--!"

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, picking himself off of the floor. "Watch where you're going!"

"Na—ru—to—he—lp—me!" Kiba screamed, his speech stuttering as Lee continued punching him in the stomach.

Naruto saw his predicament and rushed to his aid, only to trip on Shikamaru on the way over. Naruto's foot caught on Shika's elbow, and he went down, taking the table with him as he tried to grab it for balance.

The table hit the ground with a thundering _THUD _and Sasuke was barely able to jump out of the way in time to avoid it.

"You almost KILLED me!" Shikamaru accused, pointing his finger at Naruto. "That table landed two inches from my head!"

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose!"

"Everyone QUIET!"

The room fell into a hush and they all looked at the source of the noise. Ten Ten stood at the door, her arms folded in front of her, a very angry, disapproving look on her face. Seeing them freeze, she walked into the room, stopping just short of the fallen table.

"Lee, let Kiba go."

Kiba slumped to the floor.

"Boys…"

They all cringed.

"What is the meaning of this!" She demanded, pointing to the mess. She saw their mouths open at once to explain and she held her hand up. "Never mind…just—just clean this up. You have group in five minutes, and I want this room spotless when I come back to get you." With that, she left the room, the door slamming a little harder than usual to emphasize her point.

They stood in silence for a few minutes before Shikamaru let out a groan. "Group…" he muttered under his breath.

A chorus of groans surfaced.

Lee was oblivious as he picked up the bowls off the floor, tossing them into a garbage can. "What is this, "group"?" he asked.

"Sitting around and talking about our feelings…" Sasuke muttered as he and Shikamaru stood the table up. "It's riveting, really…"

But Lee's face brightened at this. "Well I should think so! I for one always enjoy such things as--,"

By then they had stopped listening as they continued cleaning the room. Ten Ten arrived a few minutes later and ushered them to the room of hell.

(Section Break)

Shizune step faltered as she entered the room, having to remind herself to walk to her seat as she took in the boys surrounding the table and the unnatural vibe they had brought with them. Naruto was wet from his hair to his chest, and he didn't look too thrilled about it. Kiba had his arms wrapped around his stomach and was constantly glaring at Lee.

Rock Lee. The new kid. He seemed the only one of the group that was not perturbed.

Although they were less blatant, Sasuke and Shikamaru looked angry too, and she couldn't help but notice the disheveled look of their hair and clothes.

This was bound to be interesting.

She sat in her chair, clearing her throat to draw the attention of the boys to herself. Lee smiled shamelessly at her, but that was the only real reaction she was able to get.

A few more seconds of silence passed. Shizune kept looking between each boy, then raised her brows as she sighed. What more had she really expected? Group therapy was a lost concept on this bunch.

"I'm not really sure what's going on here, but let's try to put it behind us and move forward with a clean slate, okay?"

More silence.

"Kiba? Will you pass these out for me?" she asked in a resigned voice. Kiba sullenly stood and took the paper from her. He gave one to all the boys except Lee, opting to place his piece on the other side of the circular table so Lee would have to reach for it. Shizune slapped her hand on it and slid it over to an oblivious Lee. Kiba scowled and returned to his seat.

"Shikamaru, will you please read the first paragraph out loud?"

Shikamaru's eyes quickly scanned the sheet, then widened almost comically. He glared up from the paper at Shizune.

"You've got to be kidding," he said incredulously. Shizune stared back, not backing down.

"Read, Shikamaru."

Shika narrowed his eyes spitefully but lowered them back to his paper and started to read reluctantly in a low voice.

"You've got a friend in--"

"What?" Kiba blurted out. Shika's glare intensified, and Kiba visibly shrank.

"I can't hear..." he whimpered. Shizune would have grinned evily if it hadn't been an inappropriate thing for a psychiatrist to do to her patients.

"Speak up, Shika."

Shikamaru growled at the use of his nickname without permission but continued, louder this time.

"You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me. When the road looks--"

This time he was interrupted by a loud snicker from Sasuke. Shika _did_ smile evily.

"I have an idea. Let's go around the circle and each read a line!" he said in an incredibly fake voice, an equally fake grin in place.

"Good idea, Shika!" Now two glares were fixated on Shizune. Lee was excited to be involved, Naruto was spacing out, and Kiba hadn't recognized the song yet. Sasuke was sure once he did, he would be bouncing up and down and screaming, or something equally Kiba-esque.

"Okay, Shika, go ahead and start again."

Grimace. "You've got a friend in me." Evil grin.

Nudge to Sasuke's ribs. "Oh, um, you've got a friend in me." _I hate you, Shikamaru._

Naruto continued in a droning voice, "When the road looks rough ahead..."

"Just remember what you're old pal said," read Kiba, his face slowly lighting up.

"Boy, you've got a friend in me!" exclaimed Lee, overexaggerating the emphases in each word.

And so they continued reading around the circle.

"You've got a friend in me."

"You've got troubles, well I have 'em too."

"There isn't anything I wouldn't do."

"We stick together and we see it through." (Three grimaces over the cheesiness.)

"You've got a friend in me!" Kiba was singing the words now.

"You've got a friend in meeeee," Lee chose to sing as well.

"Some other folks might be a little bit--" Shika paused to glare daggers at Shizune, "—_smarter_ than I am."

"Bigger and stronger too, maybe?" Sasuke asked in a bewildered voice, wondering how on earth he had liked this song when he was little.

"But none of them will love you the way I do."

"And as the years go by," sang Kiba.

"Boys, our friendship will NEVER die!" Lee declared. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You're gonna see, it's our destiny," Shika grumbled.

"YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME!" Lee and Kiba finished, singing loudly, all traces of animosity gone between them.

Sasuke promptly crossed his arms on the table in front of him and buried his head.

"Well, that was fun," said Naruto sarcastically.

"Yes, for all parties involved," Shika added.

"PARTY?" Lee shrieked. Kiba squealed and clapped his hands loudly.

"Nooooo," came Sasuke's muffled groan.

Shizune had been watching the group's new dynamics with interest. However, at the sight of two hyperactive boys growing more excited by the nanosecond, she decided it was time to intervene before things got...louder.

"The point," she started to say over the noise.

Shika snorted. "There was a point?"

The look on Shizune's face clearly said that Shika had pulled the last straw. "That's enough, Shika," she warned. She turned to Kiba, deciding to try a new tactic.

"Kiba, what do you think that song was saying?"

Kiba smiled widely. "That I've got a friend in...in..." He looked puzzled, then suddenly his face split into a grin. "In all of them!" he exclaimed, pointing around the circle. Shika started to retort but stopped when Sasuke lightly elbowed him and shook his head. To Sasuke's surprise he made a face but remained silent.

"Exactly Kiba!" Shizune grinned for Kiba's benefit. "Now, it's important to be able to take care of yourself. But sometimes that means knowing when to ask someone else for help. And you can ask your friends for help, because that's what friends do. They help each other."

"Like Woody and Buzz!"

"Yes, Kiba, like Woody and Buzz."

Kiba grinned and stretched his arms out like wings. "TO INFINI--"

"Not now, Kiba," Naruto interrupted wearily. Kiba looked at Naruto then abruptly dropped his arms and crossed them across his chest, leaning back in his chair and pouting.

"So," Shizune went on as though nothing had happened, "let's all tell about a time when we asked a friend to help and they did." She had long since given up on asking for volunteers; she had excellent results with these boys when they were one-on-one, but for some reason as a group they didn't seem to get much out of the sessions. "Lee, why don't you start?"

Lee was silent for a few moments, looking thoughtful. Then his face lit up.

"I know!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger towards the ceiling. "I asked Naruto to teach me how to do the origami, so I could make paper cranes!"

"Why did you want to learn how to make cranes?" asked Shizune.

Lee instantly sobered, his expression becoming unreadable as he dropped his gaze to the table. The atmosphere was tensing increasingly as Lee sat in silence and the other boys looked on, anticipating the mood swing that was sure to come.

"Why, Lee?" Shizune tried again.

It was a few seconds before Lee gave any sign that he had heard the question. Keeping his eyes glued to the surface of the table, he took a somewhat shaky breath and replied, "My mom used to make origami. She was really good, too. She could make elephants, and dragons, and grasshoppers. I always watched her make them and begged her to teach me how, and she said she would when I turned ten. But...but she was gone by then."

Lee hung his head, sniffling. Sasuke looked apprehensive.

_Wait for it..._

Suddenly Lee let out a wail and faceplanted onto Shika's shoulder, shaking with unrestrained sobs. Shika looked bewilderedly across the table to Shizune. Unfortunately for Shika, Shizune was too busy chewing a thumbnail to be bothered with the trivial matter of a blubbering Lee come undone.

Sasuke, Naruto and Kiba just stared on in morbid fascination as Lee flung his arms around Shika's neck. But, surprisingly to them all, Shika didn't react. Well, at least not as badly as they would have thought he would. He just rolled his eyes and with a resigned sort of grimace began to pat Lee's shoulder uncomfortably.

Sasuke blinked, then blinked again, sure he was seeing things. The same boy who had shook with rage at Lee's mere request for friendship was now letting said boy cling to him like a...a barnacle.

A few awkward shoulder pats later, Lee was beginning to quiet down. Finally he let go of Shika's neck and surfaced from his shoulder, resting his temple where his forehead had been. He closed his eyes wearily and slowly his breathing returned to a normal pace.

Shizune smiled discreetly behind her thumb as she watched Lee gradually relax. Finally, finally it seemed that Shikamaru could focus on something other than his loss of Neji. Once Lee had quieted completely, she wiped her face blank once again and removed her hand from in front of her mouth.

"So you see, Lee? You asked Naruto to help you with something that was important to you, and he did."

Lee nodded solemnly.

"Okay, Shika, you're next."

Shika shrugged. "I asked Kiba to eat my mushrooms, and he did."

"Was that important to you?"

"Yeah. I really hate mushrooms."

Shizune closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling slowly.

"Sasuke, you're up."

Sasuke's forehead creased as he thought. He knew he had asked a certain someone for a lot of help since his arrival at the hospital but he struggled to find something, anything that wasn't so personal.

Coming up with nothing, he sighed.

_I hate group._

"I asked Naruto to help me start to talk about my...feelings...more," he admitted reluctantly.

Shizune nodded and wisely moved on.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned to Kiba, who had been slowly losing focus, and grinned at him. "I asked Kiba to keep me company one night when I was feeling sad, and he helped me feel better, without even trying."

Kiba lit up at the praise. He bounced lightly in his seat as he shot his hand up in the air.

"Kiba, your turn," Shizune told him.

"I ask Naruto to play with me all the time, because I'm bored, and he always does," Kiba declared. Then, with a thoughtful look, he added somberly, "Except when he's napping. I leave him alone then."

Shizune smiled at him. "That's very nice of you, Kiba. And just like you ask Naruto for help, you can ask your other friends, too." She looked around the table once, making sure she had every boy's attention.

"You five are all friends. Do you understand?"

Kiba answered for all of them with an excited yip.

Shizune looked at her watch. "Alright, boys, we're out of time--"

And, just as always, by the time she looked up the room was empty, save for the slightly crumpled papers littering the table.

(Section Break)

Kiba walked down the hall, his arms swinging at his sides. His mind flew from thought to thought as he skipped after the group of four boys who walked ahead of him, his attention never landing on something for too long.

Naruto looked back and called out, "Kiba, you coming?"

Kiba grinned, his arms still flopping at his sides. "Yeah!"

He hummed to himself as the group continued, the happy grin still on his face. This was a good day.

Kiba was not a very complex person. If he got something good to eat, got along with everyone and took a nap, everyday was a good day. But hey, life's much more enjoyable if you're easy to please. And, despite the morning's rocky start, he was quick to forget.

His head was bobbing from side so side to the imaginary beat in his head when he saw him. He froze in his tracks as a boy passed by him, holding a bright red fire engine toy in his hands.

The boy from the barbecue. He didn't seem to notice Kiba as he walked past him and through a doorway.

Kiba stood stalk still, his eyes wide. The truck…that was the truck that made the noise!

Naruto saw that Kiba lagged behind, and he pulled on Sasuke's arm, halting the group. "Kiba, come on!"

"What is he doing?" Shikamaru muttered, folding his arms over his chest. After no one made a move to retrieve him, he tapped his foot and sighed. "Just go get him already, Naruto."

"Why is it always my job?" Naruto asked, slightly irritated. "It wouldn't kill you guys to take some responsibility for once."

"Hey, hey!" Sasuke interjected, pointing an accusing finger. "I took care of him the whole time you were away. I have paid my dues!"

Naruto let out an offended gasp. "_Paid your dues_? Is that what you see him as? As some chore that you have to take care of?"

"Ah, but see," Shikamaru corrected, "We don't have to take care of it. You do."

Naruto glared and folded his arms over his chest.

Kiba wasn't paying attention to the angry exchange between his friends; he only stared at the doorway the boy had disappeared into. An idea was slowly, slowly coming together in his head.

He wanted the truck. The boy had the truck. If the boy had the truck, he couldn't have the truck…

_Hmm…_

"I'm just saying that Kiba is a person, as much as any of the rest of us," Naruto frowned defensively.

"God, just let it GO already Naruto. I said I was kidding!" Shikamaru groaned. "Can we please move on now?"

_Aha! He must take the truck…_

"All I'm saying is-,"

Sasuke interrupted Naruto, poking him in the side. "Um…guys?"

"What!"

Sasuke pointed blatantly and they all turned to look.

Kiba had let out a whoop and had started to sprint down the hallway. Naruto's eyes bulged.

"Kiba!"

Naruto dashed after him without a second's hesitation. "Kiba, stop! Come back!"

Sasuke's body acted without his brain, and before he knew it, he was running after Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, wait!"

Kiba was running as fast as he could, through the doorway and into another long hallway. He dodged around nurses and patients and carts, weaving his way after the boy who held his happiness clutched in his arms.

Naruto was on his tail, falling behind only when Kiba almost turned over a cart full of medicine bottles in his haste. Naruto quickly righted the cart, and apologized profusely to the nurse before continuing after him. Sasuke was now right behind Naruto.

"Naruto! Stop, goddamn it!"

"No!" Naruto shouted. "Kiba! Kiba come back!...KIBA!"

The boy didn't even look back.

Okay, now Naruto was mad.

(Section Break)

Shikamaru watched with an eyebrow cocked as the three boys sprinted around the corner and out of sight. Lee still was slumped against his shoulder dejectedly as he watched the chase leave the hallway.

"I wish I could run fast…" he muttered, frowning.

Shikamaru snorted and pushed him off his shoulder yet again. "Cheer up, okay? You're annoying like this…."

Ten Ten approached them quickly, having slowed when she realized their numbers had been cut in half. "Shikamaru…" she said in a low tone, demanding the absolute truth. "Where are the other boys?" The words were ground out between clenched teeth.

Lee let out a melodramatic sigh, his shoulder slumping. Shikamaru 'tch'ed quietly before responding, "Kiba took off, so Naruto chased him and Sasuke chased Naruto."

Ten Ten looked like she was going to explode. "I left for two minutes, and all I asked was for you to head toward the room. When is that too much to ask?"

Shikamaru gave her a look. "Not my fault they ran off."

Ten Ten shook her head quickly, reaching for a phone on a nearby secretary desk. She looked back and regarded Shikamaru once again. "Can you handle getting yourself and Mr. Rock back to your room without my supervision?"

She cut off any witty reply Shikamaru had by dialing a number in on the phone and waving them away. "Yes, security? I have three patients loose—yes…Three boys. One brunette, one blond and one black haired—no, they shouldn't resist…I don't think…just get them back up to the West Wing as soon as possible okay? Alright, thank you."

When she looked up, she saw Shikamaru leading Lee by his shoulders in the direction of their room. Praying fervently that Shikamaru would behave, she quickly moved to follow the boys' path of destruction, hoping to get to them before security did.

(Section Break)

"Oh my god, Kiba wait, _please!_" Naruto wheezed, finally beginning to run out of gas. He finally stopped, moving off to the side as a slew of nurses and security raced after Kiba and leaned against the wall.

How Kiba had run that fast for that long was beyond him.

"You realize," Sasuke said, out of breath as well, "that you encouraged this behavior."

Naruto looked offended. "I did _not._"

Sasuke snorted. "'Come on Kiba, let's race!'" he said in a high voice, imitating Naruto with a dreamy look on his face. Then the scowl returned. "Let's turn you into a crazy running machine!"

"Shut up," Naruto muttered shoving him lightly. He stood on his tip toes, trying to see what was going on with Kiba, but they had entered another hall by then.

Sasuke patted his shoulder. "We should get back to the room…they'll get him and bring him back."

They headed off, but Naruto kept sparing glances backwards to look for Kiba. Sasuke squeezed his shoulder assuringly. "He'll be fine, don't worry."

"Yeah…" Naruto's voice trailed off as they went back to their rooms.

But he shouldn't have been worried. After all...

Kiba was fast.

(Section Break)

Said boy was currently weaving his way through the crowded halls of the East Wing. He didn't know his way, and the long minutes of running had thoroughly tired him, so his pace was much slower now, and yet he still kept his captors at bay.

He had lost sight of the truck-toting boy long ago. Now he ran to evade what seemed like the entire staff of the hospital chasing after him. Their hollers of "Hey! Stop kid!" only spurred him on.

That was their mistake…they had made it fun.

Kiba saw a door open to his left and he ducked in, quickly shutting the door behind him. Let's see them find him in here!

He crouched underneath a table, folding his knees up to his chest. It was only when he felt eyes on him that he realized he was in a patient's room. A middle aged woman stared at him from her bed with worried, confused eyes.

"What--"

"Shh!" Kiba giggled, his body shaking back and forth.

She looked skeptical, but after a few moments of watching him she decided he seemed harmless enough. "Just don't try and kill me or anything, alright?" she asked, lying down on her bed again.

"Okay!" Kiba agreed giggly.

He snuggled under the table, resting his chin on his knees, preparing himself for the long wait ahead.

(Section Break)

_Tap...tap...tap..._

"Would you please calm down?" Sasuke asked irritably. Naruto's foot ceased its incessant movements, and Sasuke sighed in relief.

_TapTapTapTap._

"GAH!" Sasuke pounced from Naruto's bed onto the floor, bodily covering the blonde's feet. Naruto scowled down at him.

"Spaz."

"Annoying," Sasuke retorted.

Naruto gave him a look but sighed, "It's just…" he sighed again. "I don't like not knowing where he is…"

"I wonder if he'll get in trouble," Sasuke wondered aloud. A sudden tensing of Naruto's legs warned him that he wasn't helping. "Sorry…"

"I just can't imagine what possessed him to go gallivanting off like that."

Sasuke snorted. "Are you kidding? That kid would jump off a cliff to chase a butterfly."

Naruto laughed weakly. "Yeah…"

They sat in silence for a while, Sasuke still seated on Naruto's feet until Sasuke could feel the boy's feet twitching to tap again.

"Naruto, calm down, jeez."

"I'm sorry!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I can't help but worry--"

"Naruto." Sasuke cut him off gruffly, gently rising onto his knees in the tiny space between Naruto's feet. With his hands on Naruto's knees he slowly parted the boy's thighs and inched closer. Naruto flushed at the undivided attention he was suddenly receiving but stayed still, waiting for Sasuke to make his move. Sasuke smirked at the look of innocent curiosity playing across Naruto's face. If only Naruto knew how powerful that look was...

Sasuke nudged his face against Naruto's, their noses, cheeks and lips aligned. His eyes darted down, taking in Naruto's waiting, slightly opened lips before looking back into clear blue. "Stop worrying," he breathed. Naruto shivered at the warm breath against his mouth. Sasuke took in all of Naruto's reactions with a bit of surprise amidst a growing excitement he had no control over.

He had planned on a simple, chaste kiss, but if Naruto was going to act like _this..._

He closed the distance between them, kissing the boy slowly, sensually. He prodded gently at Naruto's bottom lip with his tongue and slipped his tongue in, sweeping across white teeth and pressing insistently against the small gap between rows. Naruto opened his mouth a little more, feeling himself melting as Sasuke plunged a little deeper into his mouth exploringly.

Sasuke carefully leaned against Naruto's upright torso as he felt him relax, guiding him slowly to lay down and covering his body with the weight of his own. Sasuke's hands roamed Naruto's body, over the flat planes of his chest to the slight curve of his hips, then back up his sides. Naruto held Sasuke's face close to his own with his hands as they kissed. They pulled apart every few moments, but never for long.

How was it that Naruto always felt so _close _to Sasuke at moments like this?

He shivered as Sasuke's hand ghosted up and down his thigh, and even though its intent was nothing more than investigatory, he felt himself blush and a strong stirring of something in his gut.

Sasuke nipped at his lower lip harshly. He pulled back and his hands gripped Naruto's upper thigh's, lifting them up so he could maneuver closer to Naruto to make kissing easier. He let Naruto's legs wrap slightly around his body and he leaned forward to kiss the boy again, when their abdomens rolled together--

_Oh god..._

A breathy moan escaped although no one knew who had issued it. Sasuke felt his breath all but catch in his throat as he rocked his pelvis against Naruto's again, experimentally.

"Haaa…" Naruto let out, his eyes squeezing closed as his hands fisted in the sheets.

Sasuke had to bite his lip violently to quiet his moan. The sensation was more incredible than anything he had ever felt. He leaned over and kissed Naruto again, his tongue aggressively plundering Naruto's mouth as he felt his arousal grip him. He rolled his hips again, more sharply this time, and Naruto gasped, his moan smothered by Sasuke's mouth on his.

Naruto pushed Sasuke up by his shoulders, his breath fast and his face flushed. "Sasuke-…?"

Sasuke stared at him with half-lidded eyes and heavy breathing. "You don't want this?" he asked huskily. The tone of his voice alone sent a spark strait to Naruto's groin and he blushed.

"I-I don't know. It's all so fast…"

He could feel Sasuke let out a shaky breath. "Okay, we can stop--"

"No!" Naruto objected quickly, his hands grabbing the front of Sasuke's shirt to keep him in place. "I just…"

"Okay," Sasuke whispered in his thick timbre, leaning forward to kiss him again. "Slower this time."

Their lips hovered over each others as Sasuke slowly ground his hips against Naruto, his eyes closing and a soft grunt escaping him.

Naruto pulled him down for another kiss, cautiously rocking his hips up.

The room was filled with soft whispers of moans and cries as they continued to move as one. Sasuke had pulled back to reposition themselves when--…

A knock at the door. The knocker waited for no response and the door swung open.

Shikamaru stuck his head in the room, intent on telling the boys that Kiba was about to be brought back, when he froze, taking in the sight before him.

He blinked a few times, noting how Naruto's face burned crimson (and it wasn't all from embarrassment...) while Sasuke's instantly turned to a scowl.

"What do you want?" Sasuke growled, his hands tightening on Naruto's hips possessively.

"Kiba's back soon," Shikamaru said, giving them one last look before shutting the door behind him.

He walked back into the common room, shaking his head. It wasn't like he was embarrassed—he and Neji had done worse than that—but he just didn't suspect those two…He felt a faint smile tug on the corners of his mouth, their predicament bringing him back memories on himself and Neji when they were in the "exploring" stage.

He heard Sasuke's door open slowly and the shuffling of feet. Naruto pulled up a chair next to Shika stiffly, obviously uncomfortable with the tightness in his pants. He looked over at Shikamaru who gave him a small smirk at the boy's embarrassment as he hunched over, trying to hide his arousal in the folds of his clothes.

"Lee?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "He's in his room. Still in his down phase." He let out a small laugh. "I can't decide which side of Lee I hate the most, his up or his down."

"You don't hate him," Naruto rebuked quietly.

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, well--"

It was then that Shikamaru heard some muffled sounds coming from Sasuke's room. They both listened intently for a few moments, before it became clear what was happening behind the door. Naruto's face lit up red like a Christmas light when Sasuke walked through his door a moment later, looking relaxed and a bit…frazzled. There was no bulge in his pants, and he seemed pretty happy with himself. He also pulled up a chair and regarded Shikamaru with a look that dared him to say anything.

The door swung open and three large men dressed in blue uniforms walked in, Kiba caged in between their bodies. Ten Ten was the last in the room, her arms folded over her chest and her gaze falling from the boys to Kiba.

She nodded to the guards and they stepped back, fully showing Kiba for the first time. His face was flushed, his clothes were severely rumpled and his breathing was fast. But his eyes were wide, and he was fighting to keep a grin off his face.

Ten Ten walked in front of him and turned on her heel to face the boy. "Kiba."

He smiled at her pleasantly.

"You've broken a lot of rules today, Kiba," she said sternly.

He nodded.

"For breaking these rules, you will receive punishment."

Sasuke felt Naruto tense beside him, but Kiba didn't look phased. He merely nodded again.

"For all the damage you've caused, you will be required to complete ten hours of cleaning duty around the hospital. You will be supervised while you work, of course, and you must do a thorough job, or more consequences will be introduced. Is that clear?"

Another nod.

Ten Ten addressed the group. "And as for you all…"

Naruto flinched at her stern tone.

"This hospital has had quite enough of your combined antics over the years. Just stay in line, alright?" Her tone had softened by the end of her sentence, seeing how freaked out they were. "Just lay low for a while, okay guys?"

They all nodded.

"Okay then." She turned to face the three security guards. "Thank you for your help," she sighed, motioning towards the door.

With that, the guards left the room with Ten Ten following, the door locking behind them. As soon as it did, Kiba burst out laughing, holding his sides as he doubled over.

"That was so fun!" he squealed.

Naruto rose from his chair and walked to Kiba quickly, grabbing him in a hug. "Don't do that again, Kiba," Naruto told him, trying to keep a serious expression.

Sasuke was biting his lips together to keep his laughter in. "You're not supposed to get _caught_, Kiba. That's why it's called an _escape_."

Kiba giggled again. "I won't next time!"

"Hey!" Naruto corrected, "There won't be a next time." He looked Kiba in the eye for confirmation. "Riiiiight?"

"Okay, okay," Kiba mumbled, but his face was soon back to his happy grin as he moved from Naruto's arms to skip into his own room.

Naruto watched the young boy leave. As soon as the door closed loudly behind him Sasuke let himself laugh. Naruto turned a mild glare in his direction.

"Don't encourage it."

"I'm not!" Sasuke laughed again. "He's not even in the room, Naruto. Besides, it _is_ a little funny."

Naruto's lips were starting to twitch suspiciously but he kept his eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Sasuke sighed. "Weren't you _just_ telling me to have a little more fun in life?"

Naruto smiled then, softly as he recalled Sasuke freaking out over Sakura's "attention". The room was quiet for a few moments, Naruto lost in thought, Sasuke watching Naruto with a peaceful look on his face, Shika staring at the floor awkwardly and Lee observing Naruto and Sasuke with unabashed curiosity. Finally Shika looked up and poked Lee in the arm.

"Ow!" cried Lee, more annoyed about being distracted from his lover-gazing than the bruise he was sure to get. Shika just grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the table.

"Come on, let's play some cards," he grumbled quietly.

"Ooh, I know!" Lee exclaimed. "Do you know any four person games? Because they--"

Shika plunked Lee down gracelessly into a chair. "Let's leave them be, okay?"

At that, Lee's eyes grew round, and a knowing grin spread across his face. "OH. Okay. We'll," wink, "_leave them be_."

Shika groaned and rolled his eyes as he took a seat across from Lee.

"Just deal, would ya?"

(Section break)

Kiba sighed loudly, holding his chin in his hand. He let his crayon doodle on his paper, his eyes wandering over Naruto's paper, which held a happy looking elephant drawn in green. He let out another breathy sigh and Naruto looked up.

"What?"

Kiba wrinkled his nose. "This is boring," he announced, dropping his crayon and folding his arms over his chest.

This time it was Naruto who sighed, also dropping his crayon. "Okay, what do you want to?" he asked warily. He had chosen coloring because it was close to Kiba's bedtime and he had wanted to quiet the child down…but he no doubt wanted to do something that involved raised heart rates or something of that nature.

Kiba sat and thought for a moment, tapping his finger on his chin. After a few minutes his face lit up and he grinned widely. Naruto felt uneasy.

"We'll play story popcorn!"

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. "Kiba…we don't have popcorn or even a book--"

"No, no, no!" Kiba shushed Naruto's obvious silliness as he stood, pulling the blonde up with him. "Story popcorn is when you…" His voice trailed off as he began to run (Naruto noticed with a grimace) around the room, stopping by Shikamaru and Lee who were playing another game of cards.

"Let's play story popcorn!"

"Let's not," Shika quickly replied as he drew a card from a pile in front of him.

But Lee perked up. "I'm up for any sport!" He leapt to his feet beside Kiba and he looked at Shikamaru expectantly.

"Come on, Shika, play with us!"

Shikamaru snorted and shook his head. Kiba shrugged his shoulders. "He probably wouldn't be very good at it anyway," he muttered to Lee.

"Hey!"

Now that Shika had risen to defend his name, they only had to recruit one last player. Kiba pounded loudly on Sasuke's door. "SASUKE!" he hollered.

They heard a gasp, then the ruffling of sheets, then a loud thump. A few moments later, a very tired looking Sasuke cracked open the door and looked out. "What."

Kiba frowned at his tone, but Lee stepped in. "We are inviting you to play a game of story popcorn with us!" He motioned to Shikamaru and Naruto who sat on the floor in the common room.

"No."

"Aww, come on! Please?" Kiba begged. "It's more fun with more people!"

Sasuke seemed to weigh his options. The game was bound to be loud, but since he was already awake…

"Is Shikamaru playing?"

Lee and Kiba nodded in unison.

"Fine then, I'll play."

"Oh huzzah!" cheered Lee, throwing his hands in the air ecstatically as they joined the other two boys on the floor.

"Now," Kiba instructed, "form a circle."

They all scooted into a circle like shape as they sat cross-legged on the floor.

"Okay! Now the rules for story popcorn are, we start out with a sentence."

He motioned to Naruto who offered up, "The rain was coming down hard…?"

"Then Shikamaru would continue the story with another sentence, and it goes around in a circle!" Kiba explained excitedly.

"…that's it?" Sasuke asked tiredly.

Kiba gave him an annoyed look before turning to the whole group. "Now! We need a sentence to start things off!"

When nothing but silence answered him Kiba rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Fine, _I'll_ go. Ummm...The day was growing hotter by the second." Kiba pointed at Naruto.

"Uh, the two boys stood at the edge of the pool." He looked to Sasuke.

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds before replying, "They started to count to three to jump in together."

"When they got to two, one pushed the other, and he fell in the pool with a wail!" Lee exclaimed.

Shika looked at him weirdly but continued anyway. "The boy surfaced and screamed, 'You fu--"

Suddenly Naruto was coughing far too loudly and Sasuke was interrupting Shika with "fun loving guy! You fun loving guy you!"

Kiba looked around with a confused look but continued anyway. "Sokki jumped in the pool with a big SPLASH!" he said excitedly, motioning crazily with his hands.

"Ryugi was still mad about Sokki pushing him, so he dunked his head under the water." Naruto supplied.

"Sokki flailed his arms wildly and tried to get away from Ryoko."

"RYUGI!" shrieked Kiba, startling everyone.

Sasuke lifted his hands in self defense. "Okay, okay, Ryugi. Sokki flailed his arms wildly and tried to get away from _Ryugi_." Kiba nodded in satisfaction.

"Finally Ryugi let go of Sokki and Sokki came up spluttering," said Lee.

"They splashed each other," droned Shika.

Kiba glared and crossed his arms, pouting. "You guys aren't making this funny! This is supposed to be _funny!_"

"We're doing our best, Kiba," Sasuke sighed. "You're the one that woke me up."

"So!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm going back to bed."

"Nooooo!" Kiba wailed as Sasuke rose. He grabbed at Sasuke's hands but Sasuke wrenched them away quickly, retreating to his room.

"Yeah, you know, I think I'm going to..." Shika trailed off as he quickly stood up and practically ran to the other side of the room, back to his cards. Lee looked forlornly after him, then back at Kiba and Naruto.

"We can still play, right?" he asked imploringly.

"Yeah," Kiba grumbled, "but it's more fun with a lot of--"

Kiba was interrupted by the noise of the door to the wing opening and Ten Ten coming in, holding an envelope.

"Shika!" she called. "Mail!"

Shika looked up in ill-concealed surprise as Ten Ten walked over to him and handed him the mail. Kiba sprinted over quickly.

"Who's it from? Who's it _from?_" he asked hurriedly.

Shika stared at the right corner of the envelope.

"Neji," he said softly.

(Section Break)

Naruto slipped quietly into Sasuke's room a few minutes later and tip-toed over to the bed to find Sasuke completely buried under the sheets. Cautiously he lifted the sheets to uncover Sasuke's head.

Loud snores filled the room.

"Stop faking, it's me," Naruto said in an exasperated tone. Sasuke stopped "snoring" and peeped one eye open, glancing nervously around the room. Once he had assured himself that there was no Kiba waiting in the shadows to pounce on him, he sat up and moved to the side, patting the space beside him. Naruto sat down willingly.

"So are they still playing?"

"No," Naruto said with a smile. "Shika got some mail, and it distracted Kiba enough so I could get away."

"Mail?" Sasuke asked. "From who?"

Naruto looked at his hands, smile quickly fading. "Neji," he said softly.

Sasuke wasn't sure what to do, or say in the awkward silence that was now filling the room. Finally he cleared his throat.

"So, how is he?"

Naruto shrugged, still keeping his head bowed. "He says he's fine. I didn't catch where he was, but it didn't sound like he was in a lot of trouble or anything."

Sasuke watched, concern flitting across his features as Naruto started to scratch at his thumb repetitively, the spot growing red and raw. Sasuke gently put his hand over Naruto's, halting his movement. Naruto looked up in surprise. Black eyes caught blue, and Naruto found he couldn't look away, the worry in Sasuke's eyes far too intense.

Finally he sighed and leaned in, pecking Sasuke gently on the lips. Pulling back slightly, he whispered,

"Let's go to sleep."

Sasuke nodded with a small smile and started to lay down again when Naruto yanked him back upright and started pulling him off the bed.

"Wha--"

"Not in here," said Naruto with a mild glare. Sasuke grinned and obediently followed Naruto to his room and the heavenly mattress waiting for him there.

(Section Break)

Shikamaru shut the door behind him softly, walking quickly to his bed where he sat cross-legged and opened the letter quickly. He had only brushed over the letter out in the common room, to satiate his roommate's questions, and now he could sit down and really read it.

He let out a breath as his eyes took in the familiar scrawl of Neji's handwriting as he began to read.

Shika,

I'm sorry this letter took so long to make its way to you. I had to make numerous requests to my overseers so I would be able to write to you, and even then, it had to go through several screen readings both here and at St. Olaf. I hope this letter finds you eventually.

It's different here. I suppose that's to be expected, but it was a bit of a shock to go from padded walls to concrete, carpeted floors to linoleum. I never thought I would say this, but I find myself missing the raggedy ass family we had, back to St. Olaf, you me, Naruto and Kiba. Oh, and that new kid, Sasuke. What a punk.

The kids here are fucked up, too. Every few minutes a fist fight breaks out, as if each boy has to prove his masculinity constantly by knocking out someone else's teeth. It's ridiculous. I try to avoid the fights, seeing as the guards get pissed and end up beating the crap out of the two fighting anyway. I've only fought once, when someone threatened to cut my hair off…I fought him hard, Shika. My hair…is one of your favorite things about me, isn't it Shika? So I fought to keep it, and it was worth it.

I hope they will let you write back to me, but who knows. Even if they don't, I'll keep writing, hoping that my letters can somehow reach you.

You're the only thing I've got left Shikamaru.

Try to write back.

Neji

Shikamaru let out a shaky sigh as he finished, reading it over a few times before folding it up carefully. Neji was alright. The thought sent relief flooding through his system.

Neji missed him.

He laid himself down on his bed, holding the letter against his chest tightly. He hadn't felt this good in a long while.

And even though he couldn't see him, he felt connected to Neji in a way that made his heart swell.

He closed his eyes, letting sleep take him over, a faint smile tugging at the corner or his lips.

**OoOo.**

**Okay, so kinda a long wait again. Sorry to say, but you're going to have to adjust to them, guys. Mirandler 43 just picked up a second job, and I, KandKL, have begun my first year in high school. Thing have gotten very hectic, and it takes all we can give to even coordinate times when we are both available to write. Don't worry, the fic will continue as usual, but be prepared for updates about as fast as this one was. We're doing the best that we can!**

**As you probably noticed, Top Floor is posted under my (KandKL's) penname on Because of this, we thought it only fair to post Top Floor under mirandler 43's penname on AFF, and reviews have become a small bit of friendly competition between us. I just wanted to say to all of you reviewers, you rock! We, on have 46 more reviews than AFF. Keep it up guys! Mirandler 43 will be pep talking her AFF readers to review more, so we can't let them catch up!**

**Thanks to all who read and review.**

**Later.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto. If we did, the boys would be getting some lovin' on and ninja uniform would be no uniform.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains both citrus and darker subject matter. Don't like don't read. **

**OoOo.**

Kiba's eyes were bugging out of his head. All around him, as far as he could look, were presents. Big boxes, small boxes, medium boxes, all brightly wrapped in shiny paper and topped with huge colorful bows. Kiba sat on the edge of his bed, his feet dangling above the floor as he hastily rubbed the sleep from his eyes, certain the mirage would disappear. To his delight, the boxes still covered the floor when his eyes opened once again.

With a loud cry of delight he leapt from the bed and launched himself into the pile. He wrenched the paper off the box nearest him and opened the box, tearing the cardboard in his haste. An indecipherable noise escaped him as he took out the red firetruck. Reverently, he placed the prized toy on his bed before turning back to the presents around him.

Spinning tops, a playdoh barbershop, tinker toys, animal figurines, a chest of child's tools. By the time Kiba had finished tearing into all of the packages, the room was littered with the noisiest, messiest, and most forbidden toys he had ever imagined.

Kiba heaved a long, sated sigh and laid down among his new possessions on the floor, a huge grin plastered firmly on his face. He reveled in his post-presents glow in peace for a few moments, until a rather insistent poking at his shoulder distracted him.

Kiba looked over his shoulder to find a box there, jabbing him. He pushed the box away and closed his eyes again, only to feel the sharp prodding again. He slapped the box away, a little irritated by this point.

"Kiba."

Kiba's eyes opened roundly.

"Kiba," the voice came, more insistently this time.

"...Box?" he asked incredulously.

"Kiba!"

Kiba shot upright from his bed with a loud gasp of incoherent mumblings, clutching at his shoulder. He whipped his head to the side and found Shikamaru standing there, a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"Are you awake now?"

Kiba scowled at Shika before rising slowly to his feet. Suddenly he let out another loud gasp, this time one of disbelief and denial.

"Awake?" he asked, hoping he had heard wrong. Quickly his eyes searched the room for any trace of boxes, wrapping, or toys. When none were found, he sighed forlornly.

"It's not my birthday..."

It was more of an acknowledgement than a question. Kiba watched his toe scuff against the carpet and didn't see the faint expression that had crossed Shika's face. By the time Kiba had looked up the look was gone and the mask of laziness had returned.

"Ten Ten said to wake you up so you can get ready to go do your cleaning."

Kiba groaned.

"Are you awake?" Shika asked again. "Because before, your eyes were open, but you weren't--"

"Yes, I'm awake," grumbled Kiba as he got up from the bed and started to change out of his pajamas. "_Obviously_ I'm awake. There aren't any presents anymore..."

Shika turned quickly to hide his smirk and left the room, leaving a pouting Kiba in his wake hastily scrambling to find any clean clothes, or at least anything passable as clean.

* * *

Tremors rippled through Naruto's body as Sasuke held him pinned against the mattress, grinding harshly against his hips. He let out a sharp groan and bucked his hips as much as he could under Sasuke's weight.

It was all Sasuke could do to keep silent, the muscles in his face clenched painfully tight as he forced his jaw to stay closed.

The morning had started innocently enough for Sasuke. He had woken up slowly, laying on his side facing Naruto. The blonde muttered unintelligibly in his sleep and inched closer to Sasuke, causing a small smile to spread across Sasuke's face. The smile vanished, however, when Naruto innocently brushed his knee up against Sasuke's groin.

Sasuke had frozen, unsure of what to do with his new...dilemma. The gentle pressure of Naruto's knee was taunting him, teasing him to hardness at a maddeningly slow place. Sasuke had bitten his lip in an effort to stop his lustful urges, but when Naruto had stirred again...

And now the two boys were moving in frantic tandem, each bent on finding the pleasure that had been denied them four days ago. Naruto continued to emit harsh pants mingled with high-pitched whimpers, begging in his own way. The last four days had almost completely erased that once prominent fear of moving to quickly. Now Naruto found he couldn't move quickly enough.

"Sasuke!" he rasped, jerking his head to the side. "Please..."

Sasuke's answer was a low moan and a nip to Naruto's exposed neck. Naruto wriggled again, trying to gain more of that unbearably blissful friction. Nothing was enough. Lustful cries rose to the ceiling as each boy worked their hardest to reach their end, not caring how long the journey would, or more appropriately wouldn't, last.

Naruto started to feel something in the base of this stomach, a warm glow he couldn't describe adequately in his haze-filled mind. He wanted to desperately to grab Sasuke's hips and pull their bodies even more flush, but Sasuke's grip on his arms kept him firmly in place. All he could do was wiggle slightly against Sasuke's erection that was grinding against his.

_So close...so close..._

And such was the moment that Kiba decided to ruin.

"NARUTO! I CAN'T FIND MY SHOES!"

Naruto cried out then, from sheer frustration. Sasuke rested even more of his weight upon him, if that was possible.

"Ignore him," he growled in a husky tone. Naruto held his breath for a moment and stayed completely still, as if immobility would make Kiba forget his existence.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto groaned loudly and tried to get up. Sasuke proceeded to flop gracelessly on top of him like a deadweight.

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto grumbled edgily. When Sasuke refused to budge, Naruto groaned again and struggled to get out from underneath him. "You know he won't shut up until I go out there."

Sasuke felt the urge to whine but quickly squaushed it down internally, opting instead for a begrudging sigh. He rolled off the blonde onto his back and watched as Naruto scrambled up, muttering under his breath with such vehemence that Sasuke made a mental note to never truly piss the boy off. Naruto was...a little scary like this.

Naruto stood, still obviously hard. He closed his eyes tight and clenched his fists, willing to mind every horrible thing he had witnessed or heard about. All the three-legged puppies in the world couldn't help him out, it seemed.

"NARUTO!" Kiba howled. And suddenly Naruto was glaring hard at the door, so intensely angry at that moment that it sufficed as enough of a distraction. As soon as Naruto felt himself start to soften he growled in anger and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Sasuke lay still on the bed and strained to hear what was going on outside. A few seconds passed, then Naruto's exasperated voice could be heard through the walls.

"Kiba! They're right here!"

"No."

"What do you mean, no? They're sitting right by the door!"

"I don't want to wear those."

There was a tense pause, then Naruto replied through gritted teeth,

"Which shoes do you want to wear?"

Sasuke chuckled at the impatience lacing Naruto's words but stopped short as the movements of his stomach caused his still-present erection to rub against the fabric of his pajama pants. Unconsciously he reached down and pulled his pants low enough to free his cock. He was just about to grasp it by the base when he suddenly looked down, aware of what he was doing. He stopped his hand, torn between waiting for Naruto to come back or just finishing the job himself.

He wanted so badly to take his pleasure from Naruto, not his own fist...

"Kiba, you don't even _have_ shoes like that!"

"Yes I do!"

"No, you _don't!_"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Obviously Naruto wasn't going to be coming back anytime soon. With a small reluctant sigh he let his hand resume its journey.

* * *

Naruto was trying his very hardest to keep his mutinous thoughts under control and unheard by Kiba. The young boy was making that increasingly difficult, however.

"They're...red. Bright red."

"Red? Now they're red?"

"What?"

"You said they were blue."

Kiba sighed and rolled his eyes in a typical preteen fashion. "No. I said they were _red._"

Naruto bit the inside of his lip for what felt like the hundredth time. He was sure it had to be close to bleeding by now.

"Fine," he ground out. "Where did you last see them?"

"I don't know," whined Kiba, frustrated. He continued to scour his bedroom, grabbing handfuls of clothes off of the floor and throwing them behind him as he looked on the floor. Naruto followed behind him silently, transferring the thrown clothes from the floor to Kiba's bed. After a few minutes, the floor was completely bare of clothes and, unfortunately, shoes. Kiba crawled under his bed in a last ditch effort but came out empty handed.

"Did you check out in the common room?" Naruto asked.

Kiba shook his head.

"Okay, let's go check then." Naruto started to walk out of the room but stopped abruptly and turned back to Kiba, who was following behind him.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

Kiba thought for a second before shaking his head again. "I forgot."

Naruto grimaced a little. "Then you go brush your teeth, and I'll look around out here while you do." The two started out of Kiba's room again and split ways outside.

Naruto took a wide sweep of the room and quickly looked under the table and chairs as he heard Kiba turn on the water in the bathroom. Then he headed over to the couch, undoubtedly Kiba's favorite place to sit. Hopefully the ever elusive shoes would be somewhere nearby...

Naruto bent down and peered under the couch. No shoes. He looked around the sides of the couch. He looked around the back of the couch.

No shoes.

Then a lightbulb flickered on in his mind. He ripped the cushions off of the couch and two little shoes came tumbling out after them. Naruto grinned in triumph and picked them up, then frowned.

The shoes were green.

Naruto sighed and turned to go put the shoes in Kiba's room when Kiba reemerged from the bathroom. Kiba stopped in his tracks, pointed at the shoes, and squealed in delight.

Naruto looked at the shoes again in confusion. "These are the shoes?"

Kiba nodded fervently and ran up to Naruto and snatched them from his hand.

"Really?" asked Naruto, bewildered.

"Yeah," replied Kiba, who had sat down on the cushionless couch and was hurriedly forcing his feet into the shoes.

"But they're gree—you know what? Great. I'm glad we found them," said Naruto.

Just then Ten Ten came barreling into the room. "Kiba, let's go!" she called out.

"'Kay!" said Kiba as he tied his last shoe and bounded up from the couch.

"Have fun cleaning, Kiba," said Naruto with a half-hearted smile. Kiba suddenly frowned, remembering what he had been rushing to get ready for. He looked up at Ten Ten apprehensively.

"How long do I have to clean?"

"Two hours."

Kiba hung his head and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout, but walked past Ten Ten and out the door she was holding open.

Ten Ten rolled her eyes at him and turned to Naruto. "He'll be back in a while."

Naruto nodded and waved Kiba goodbye. And if Kiba had known what 'the finger' was, he probably would have flipped it.

Ten Ten locked the door and walked behind Kiba as they made their way to the janitor's closet. She was watching him closely, looking for any signs of another escape, but his face held no evidence of evil plotting. Only a lower lip jutted out and a furrowed brow as he stomped his way down the hall.

They reached the closet and she opened it with her key, still keeping a watchful eye on her prisoner. She disappeared into the closet for a few moments, returning with a armful of spray bottles, cloths and scrubbers. She dumped them unceremoniously into Kiba's hands. He sighed.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him down the hall to the men's bathroom where a security guard stood, looking irritable. He gave one glance to Kiba before sighing and straightening up.

"This the one?"

Ten Ten nodded, pushing Kiba forward. "Yeah, this is him. He's scheduled for two hours today, so have someone page me when he's done and I'll come and get him."

He nodded, motioning for Kiba to enter the bathroom. Kiba shuffled in, working hard to balance the load in his arms.

"Be good Kiba!" Ten Ten said in what she hoped was a stern voice.

Truth be told, she was a little scared at what would occur when Kiba was mixed with toxic chemicals…

* * *

Naruto waited till the door clicked shut, then he turned on his heel, walking quickly to his room. His mood had been efficiently spoiled, and he wanted nothing more than to punch something. Hopefully, Sasuke would be out of his room by then, if only for his own safety.

He reached his door in record time, swinging it open, hoping to find it empty. He had no such luck. The first thing he noticed was the sounds—soft panting, labored breathing. Sasuke lay on his back, his pants around his knees, one hand roughly stroking his cock. He heard Naruto and looked up with his lust filled obsidian eyes.

Naruto gulped.

But…even with as arousing as this picture was, Naruto's mood was still sour, and his speech came bubbling out from his mouth before he even realized it.

"No WAY you're getting off twice without me!"

He felt embarrassed immediately, and he had to force himself to refrain from clapping his hand over his mouth in horror. Sasuke blinked, hearing Naruto's words, and he smirked.

"Let me give you a hand then," Sasuke said, his voice thick from need. He patted the bed next to him, but Naruto just stared. Sasuke gave him a look that dared him to disobey, and Naruto meekly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed cautiously, fully aware that Sasuke's erection was still in plain sight.

"Do you want me to help you, Naruto?" Sasuke asked softly.

Naruto didn't move, he just stared straight ahead, trying to train his eyes away from Sasuke's lap.

"Fine then," Sasuke whispered huskily. He reached down and grasped his dick in his hand, gasping and throwing his head back at the sensation as he began to pump himself slowly.

Naruto watched with wide eyes as Sasuke jacked off, noticing the small noises he made and the way his back would arch when he picked up his pace. He was trying to ignore the sparks shooting to his groin.

"Sasuke, Shikamaru and Lee are--"

"Naruto!" Sasuke gasped, running his thumb over the head of his pulsing cock twice.

Naruto was watching Sasuke blatantly now, his mouth becoming dry as Sasuke's thigh muscles quivered and tensed. But oh god, it was about to get worse.

Sasuke suddenly turned to fully face him, growling, "Naruto," under his breath as he aggressively crashed his lips over Naruto's. His tongue was in Naruto's mouth instantly, probing sweeping as he pinned the boy to the bed below him. "Naruto-…" he breathed, trailing his fingers down Naruto's abdomen before tracing the outline of his awakening cock through his pants.

Naruto gasped and bucked his hips up, trying to get more contact. "_Fuck _Sasuke--…"

That one uttered statement broke whatever hold Sasuke had left on himself. His hand slipped under the waistband of Naruto's pants and boxers, firmly grasping the rapidly hardening flesh below.

"Hahh—Sasuke!"

All of Naruto's embarrassment had all but evaporated as he tried to control the quiet moans escaping him. His hands ran up, one tangling in Sasuke's hair, pulling him into a fierce kiss, the other wrapping around his shoulders to pull him closer.

The heat between them was smothering.

Sasuke had pulled down Naruto's pants and boxers and taken Naruto's cock and his own and held them in the same hand. Naruto thrust upward, and the skin on skin contact was almost too much.

A throaty moan rattled past Sasuke's parted lips as he stroked them in unison, his tongue tangling with Naruto's. Naruto thrusted into Sasuke's hand, his head falling back and his eyes falling shut as he neared his climax. Sasuke too felt himself getting closer, and he picked up his pace, their groins rocking together in a fevered pace.

It was Naruto who found release first. The coil in his belly was so tight…it was going to snap…

"Sasuke! Sasuke, I--" he couldn't even finish his statement as his orgasm hit him like a load of bricks.

White flashes appeared before his eyes, and his body arched violently into Sasuke's, a whimpering cry filling the air. Hot pleasure spiked through his body and he lay rigid still as his body trembled in Sasuke's arms.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes to see that Sasuke had reached his peak too. Sasuke met his gaze and smiled tiredly. "You finally got off," his voice was of mock celebration as he grinned.

"Yeah…" Naruto breathed, collapsing back onto the mattress. "Why don't we do that more often?" he asked softly.

He could practically hear Sasuke's smirk. "That can be arranged…"

A knock on the door cut him off. "Hey!" Shikamaru called. "You two done in there?"

His tone made Naruto blush as he jumped out of bed, squealing lightly. He hastily grabbed a shirt off the floor and wiped down his stomach and legs before pulling on a pair of pants and a shirt.

"Just a minute!" he called frantically, pushing Sasuke out of bed to rearrange the covers on the bed to hide the stains. He tossed the soiled shirt against Sasuke's chest, and Sasuke wiped himself off, slowly pulling on his own shirt and shorts.

Four knocks this time.

"Coming!"

Naruto opened the door to come face to face with an agitated looking Shikamaru, Lee standing behind him.

"Naruto, we have a problem."

* * *

"What?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We. Have. A. Problem. Don't tell me you forgot too!" Shikamaru's hands were uncharacteristically motioning about as he spoke, and his eyes were slightly wide with anxiety.

"Forgot _what?_" Naruto asked, lifting his hands in a confused guesture.

"Yeah, forget what?" Sasuke piped in.

Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh and dropped his hands to his sides. "What's the date today, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked a few times, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Yeah, what does that have to do with--" a glare from Shikamaru promptly silenced Lee.

"The date, Naruto."

Naruto stood and thought for a moment before answering, "The…seventh of July, why--" His face froze.

_July seventh._

"SHIT!" Naruto shouted, his hands grabbing his head as he shook it.

Shika nodded sharply. "Hence my statement, we have a problem."

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, reaching for Naruto's shoulder, but the boy had begun to pace rapidly.

"How the hell did this come up so fast? How the HELL did I forget?"

"Forget what?" Lee asked in timid voice, thoroughly confused at this point.

"Okay, Naruto, relax," Shikamaru ordered sharply and Naruto halted and their eyes met. "Does Ten Ten know?"

"Umm…uh…maybe? I mean, it was…It was Neji's job to tell her!"

Shikamaru growled. "Okay, so that's step one—tell Ten Ten."

"Tell her WHAT?" Sasuke was getting angry by now. "Naruto, what is going--"

Naruto held up a hand to silence him as he continued to think. "I'm sure she can help out, right? Ten Ten, I mean. She could probably scrounge up some decorations…some supplies…"

"Okay, let me get her in here…" Shikamaru's voice trailed off as he walked to the wall and quickly pressed the green button.

Lee poked Sasuke in the side and asked quietly, "What's happening?"

Sasuke was fuming at the point. He moved to stand between the rapidly conversing boys, blocking their view from each other.

"What!" Naruto and Shikamaru asked at the same time.

"Would someone please tell us what the HELL is going on here!" Sasuke motioned to Lee and himself, his arms ending up crossed over his chest.

"It's the most important day of the year…" Shikamaru said, rubbing his temples.

Sasuke motioned for Naruto to speak. Naruto sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Today is Kiba's birthday."

* * *

Ten Ten listened to the boys near frantic story as they (well, Naruto) paced around the room. "Okay...so you guys do this every year?"

Naruto nodded, only then remembering that Ten Ten was relatively new to the staff of the hospital. "We—well, Neji was going to tell you, but…"

"We need help, fast," Sasuke added. Now that he knew what was going on, he was starting to get into it almost as much as Shika and Naruto. Alas, so was Lee.

"We need STREAMERS! And PARTY HATS! And PRESENTS!"

"Can it, Lee!" Shikamaru yelled. He turned to Ten Ten. "All we're asking for is a cake…maybe some balloons and some presents. Can you help us?"

Ten Ten let out a shaky breath and shook her head. "You boys…We only have--" she glanced at her watch, "An hour and forty five minutes but…I can make it work. At least some of it," she paused, thinking over her options. "I can probably get some cupcakes from the cafeteria…And we can make decorations if I can find some craft supplies. But you guys are on your own for presents."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you so, so much, Ten Ten!"

The look of hope and excitement on the boys' faces made her smile. "Sure thing. I'll be back with supplies in soon…" She left the room, trying to grunge up an excuse to give the lunch lady to get a cake.

"Hate to rain on your parade, but we still need presents," Sasuke added softly, frowning as he tried to think of solutions.

Naruto nodded absently but said, "It doesn't have to be anything nice…hand made things are just fine with Kiba, he's never had a very extravagant birthday. We've just got to come up with something…"

"Everyone just think…anything will please him, honestly. We just need _something_," Shika muttered.

They all thought in silence for a few minutes. After what seemed like forever of wasting what precious time they had, inspiration his Sasuke so hard he almost jumped. Everyone heard his gasp and looked up expectantly. Sasuke grinned wickedly.

"Hey Lee…you in the mood for some origami?"

* * *

Kiba scrunched his nose as the stench of feces rose from the toilet.

"This is gross!"

"Give it a rest, kid, you only have thirty minutes left…"

"Why don't YOU do it?" Kiba offered, holding out the filthy sponge to the guard.

A glare was all he got in return. With a dejected sigh, he turned back to his cleaning.

* * *

The room had erupted into chaos. Actually, that was an understatement.

Lee was sitting on the couch, making paper monkeys and dogs like a madman. His face was scrunched and slightly red in concentration, his fingers nimbly bending and folding the paper. His pile was massive already, and he showed no signs of slowing down.

Naruto was sitting on the ground on all fours, writing "Happy Birthday Kiba!" across a large poster board in festive colors. He bit his lip as he concentrated on making the letters the same size, with the same loopy scrawl ("Naruto's making the sign, he has the prettiest handwriting." "It is not _pretty!_" "Yes it is, shut up and do it.") He finished with the text and began to add stars and smiley faces around the border.

Shikamaru was doing his best to wrap what little gifts he and Naruto had saved for this day. It again, wasn't much, only a set of new crayons and two packs of gum, but it was all they could get. Ten Ten had managed to get her hands on some colored Xerox paper, and he was trying to fashion it into some kind of wrapping paper. It wasn't going very well. He growled as the paper sliced through the pad of his thumb.

Sasuke and Ten Ten were setting up the table, pulling up extra chairs she had found and setting out paper plates and cups. She had managed to convince the cafeteria workers to give her the extra dessert from yesterday, which was about half of a carrot cake—dry, but edible. Sasuke dealt each placing a spork and a napkin.

Ten Ten had also gone around, trying to find people to invite. In the end, all she could muster up was one or two other nurses and Shizune, but anyone extra was considered success at this point.

Everything was being done at a feverish pace, each of them aware of the clock that was ticking down—second by second—till Kiba got back. Everyone froze as the sudden beep of Ten Ten's pager cut through the atmosphere. She looked at it, nodded to everyone and headed for the door.

"This better look like a party when I get back," she said, smiling lightly.

"Roger!" Lee saluted to her as she closed the door behind her.

It took a few moments, but the pace soon picked up again, almost doubling as they realized they had four minutes at most to get the room into shape. The stress alone was enough to kill them.

But as the door swung open, revealing Kiba's shocked face, they all felt it as worth it.

* * *

Kiba stood stock still in the doorway, silently taking in the room with a slightly puzzled expression.

His eyes immediately wandered to the faces of all the people there. Shizune and two other nurses were standing on one side of the table. Naruto stood at the center, brightly smiling back at him, and Sasuke, Shika, and Lee stood on the other side.

Origami adorned the table and floor in shapes he hadn't thought possible. On the table sat a proudly displayed cake with a few paper monkeys sitting on top, and all around the cake were little dogs as well as two packages wrapped in brightly colored paper.

Behind the cake and the presents stood Naruto, holding a colorful sign. Kiba's eyes scanned the sign quickly and were about to dart off in another direction when he caught his name on the sign. His attention returned to the sign and as he read it, his eyes grew large.

_Happy Birthday Kiba!_

Kiba's eyes flitted back up to the people staring back at him, face alight with emotion akin to disbelief and hope. There he saw something that meant more to him at this moment than anything.

More than the cake. More than the origami, the decorations, and more than even the presents.

In front of him stood every person that was important to him.

And they were all smiling genuinely back at him. More importantly, Shikamaru and Sasuke were smiling. Kiba never had to try too hard to gain acceptance from any of the staff or from Naruto, and, well, Lee and smiles went hand in hand. But the two silent boys he had always wanted to hear, or see, or experience some type of positive reinforcement from were genuinely showing him affection, with no hint of sarcasm or patronization. Kiba felt his heart swell a little bit.

"Happy Birthday, Kiba!" yelled Lee, effectively ruining the tender moment.

"But I thought it wasn't my birthday," Kiba mumbled, confused. "It's really my birthday?"

Naruto nodded, grinning widely.

"You gonna come in or what?" asked Shikamaru.

Kiba grinned widely and ran into the room, Ten Ten following him in and closing the door softly behind them.

* * *

It didn't take long for Kiba to return to his normal self. He had run in, given everyone there an enormous hug as well as a headache from all his excited screams.

"These are all for me!" he asked incredulously. Sasuke fought the urge to rub his aching temple.

"Yup!" exclaimed Lee loudly.

"Wow! When do I get to open—CAKE!"

Sasuke felt he deserved a medal, or trophy, or some outward display of affection from God for the trouble he was going to to keep his impulses under control.

Kiba sprinted up to the table and reached a finger towards the cake. Ten Ten quickly intervened, slapping away the offending digit. Kiba looked up at her with a hurt look.

Ten Ten eyed him warily. "Not yet. And no fingers."

Kiba pouted, but his face brightened when he saw the plates and forks set around the table.

"But soon, right?" he asked expectantly.

"As soon as you wash your hands," put in Sasuke.

This promptly cued more pouting. "Why do I have to wash my hands?" Kiba whined.

"You have chemicals all over them, and God knows what else."

"No I don't!"

"Where were you cleaning anyway?" interjected Naruto.

"The bathroom," replied Kiba nonchalantly. Sasuke almost laughed out loud at the disgusted look on Naruto's face.

"Go wash your hands, Kiba," Naruto said forcefully.

"No! I don't wa--"

Suddenly Lee had bounded in between Naruto and Kiba and was in Kiba's face, grinning maniacally.

"Kiba! Let's WASH OUR HANDS!" he exclaimed, looking incredibly excited over the idea of soap and water.

Kiba stared blankly at Lee for a whole second before his face erupted in excitement as well.

"OKAY!"

And the two ran off towards the bathroom together, squealing like little girls the whole way, leaving a completely stunned audience in their wake. Even Naruto was surprised to see how little it took to distract Kiba.

Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru collectively sighed, trying to prepare for what was bound to be a ridiculously hectic few hours for them. The two boys tore out of the bathroom at such a speed that Naruto wondered with a grimace whether they had really washed anything.

"Time for presents?" Kiba asked expectantly.

"Well…would you rather do presents or cake first?" Naruto asked.

Kiba opened his mouth, but he had to shut it and think for a few seconds. "Both!"

They all laughed, the boy's excitement beginning to feed off onto them. Everyone gathered around the table, the boys getting seats while the nurses gathered around. One snapped pictures with a Polaroid every few minutes. Ten Ten then carefully sliced the cake into nine equal pieces, setting the sharp knife carefully on the table when she was done.

"Should we sing happy birthday?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"Yes!" Lee exclaimed. "Happy biiirthday to YOU! Happy biiiiirthday to YOOOUUU!"

They laughed and sang along as Kiba rocked happily back and forth in his chair to the rhythm of the song. They burst into a round of applause when the song ended, and Kiba's smile stretched his face.

The song was soon forgotten as Kiba saw the cake. He let out a cry of joy, stuffing his fork into the cake and then shoving it into his mouth. Lee followed suit, and soon the room was filled with the sound of munching and the pleased sounds coming from Kiba as he tasted the first real sugar he'd had in a while.

It took only a matter of a few minutes for Kiba to clean off his plate completely, finishing by licking his plate free of crumbs and stray frosting. Once finished, he jumped upright, and with a wicked grin swept everything (plates and all) off of the table and onto a heap in the floor.

"Presents!" he announced, his face splitting into another huge smile.

Sasuke motioned for the nurse that had stooped to pick up the mess of cake and glasses on the floor to let it go for now as Naruto handed Kiba his first present. His eyes widened as he saw the bright yellow paper covering it. He took a deep breath, seemingly savoring the moment before he ripped into the paper. The paper flew over his shoulder, piling on Sasuke's chest until he finally revealed his first treasure, the two packs of gum.

He squealed, biting his lips to keep from reflexively stuffing the gum into his mouth.

"That's from Shikamaru and me!" Lee announced proudly, not caring to mention that he had no part in actually getting the presents.

Kiba's eyes shone, and he gently set the packs down as if they might break. He muttered a muffled "thanks" and he reached for his next gift, which was wrapped in pink. He, again, took a deep breath before once again tearing into it, the paper again landing in Sasuke's lap (where they promptly were dumped on the growing pile of junk on the floor).

He froze when he saw what was inside and he held up the box of twenty-four crayons in reverence. He was speechless and Sasuke could have sworn his eyes were watering.

Naruto squeezed his shoulder. "Do you like it?"

He nodded soundlessly, looking from Naruto to Sasuke then to Naruto again. Sasuke smiled softly, nodding his acceptance of Kiba's silent thanks. Kiba put the crayon box on the table and sat for a moment, thinking. He smiled widely then, picking up one of his gum packs and opening it.

He then passed out one piece to everyone in the room, leaving him with only three pieces left in his first pack. Everyone watched, surprised, as he unwrapped his piece and happily popped it into his mouth. He saw them all staring and he motioned for them to do the same, so they all slipped their pieces into their mouths.

The calm, almost serene moment was promptly ruined when Kiba challenged Lee to a bubble blowing contest. The nurses conveniently chose that moment to tell Kiba that they couldn't take any longer on their break and that they had to get back to work. He hugged them each, Ten Ten and Shizune last and longest of all.

As soon as they left, things began to get wild. Shikamaru and Sasuke worked to scoop all the trash into one central pile on the floor while Kiba and Lee continued to duke it out with their bubbles.

"Hey Naruto! Can I have your gum so I can blow a bigger bubble?"

"EW, Kiba no! That's gross!"

"Why not?" Kiba asked, chewing his gum noisily with his mouth open. Naruto made a face.

"Because--just, ew."

Kiba soon gave up on the bubble contest, seeing how Lee seemed to be owning him. Naruto took the moment of calm to tell Kiba to go wash his face clean of the gum residue that coated his nose and forehead.

He disappeared into the bathroom, singing a happy tune as the sink was turned on and Naruto let out a sigh. He was happy that Kiba's birthday only came around once a year. He jumped slightly when Sasuke pulled him close, bumping their noses together affectionately.

"Take a deep breath."

Naruto laughed softly, and nodded. "Yeah."

He heard Lee stifle a giggle, but he froze when he heard a loud gasp from the direction of the bathroom. They pulled apart quickly to see Kiba staring at them with a confused look. Kiba folded his arms over his chest.

He didn't speak, but the tapping of his foot clearly showed he wanted an explanation. Naruto coughed embarrassedly, taking an inadvertent step away from Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto and moved to a chair next to the table, patting the chair next to him so Kiba would approach.

"Maybe it's time we get something straightened out?" He spoke this to the whole group, getting permission.

Lee bounded over to the table and pulled up a chair, and Shikamaru shrugged indifferently. Sasuke ignored Naruto's obvious protest and he turned to Kiba.

"Okay…see, Naruto and I are like…" he struggled to come up with a sufficient simile. "Like two trees!"

"What?" Naruto asked.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, looking at Sasuke to see if he was serious.

"Yeah, what?" Lee always felt it necessary to add his input.

"Basically, they're fucking," Shikamaru told Kiba, leaning forward on the table.

"Hey! That language is not necessary, and we are NOT doing it, for the last time!"

"Close enough."

"What's _fucking_?" Kiba's face wrinkled as he tried out the new word.

"STOP!" Naruto's face was tomato red as he shoved his hands over Shikamaru's mouth.

"That's sexual intercourse, Kiba," Lee said condescendingly. To demonstrate, he made an 'o' with one hand and inserted his index finger of his other hand into it repeatedly.

Kiba mimicked him, his face contorting into a frown. "I don't get it…"

"Okay," Lee showed him the hand maneuver again. "The finger—(he waved it) is the pee-pee, and the hand is the--"

Lee was promptly shut up as Naruto tackled him to the ground with a shout.

"—so it's like we're friends, but close friends…like…like…trees?" Sasuke was still trying to go off the tree theory and he seemed to be confusing himself.

Naruto's head appeared above the table as he scrambled to get back to his feet. "Enough!" he announced, waving his arms, causing a thick silence to fill the room.

He looked at Kiba and sighed. "Okay…basically Sasuke and I are…" It was harder to say out loud than he would have thought. "We're together."

"Together?" Kiba asked. "Like…Kiba and Naruto are together?"

"No, no," Naruto corrected quickly. "Like…like Shikamaru and Neji were."

That seemed to do the trick as understanding blossomed over Kiba's face. "So you're—I get it!"

Naruto blinked. "And…you're okay?"

Kiba nodded, giving Naruto a 'duh' look. "What do you think I am, a _baby?_"

Naruto chose not to answer that, but he let a nervous laugh escape him. He felt relieved somehow, now that this was really out in the open. They talked in quiet mumbles amongst themselves about the details of the relationship, mostly to Sasuke for a few minutes. But Kiba, never to be outdone, announced that he had a plan to make the night even more fun.

Naruto flinched. This couldn't be good.

"Let's pull an ALL-NIGHTER!"

A chorus of groans sounded from around the room.

* * *

The valiant plan of an all-nighter was rapidly beginning to dissipate as Kiba's eyelids began to droop. Everyone (but Lee, who had passed out surprisingly early) watched quietly as his head nodded in his efforts to stay awake, no one wanting to move and break the boy's spell of sleepiness. It was when he dropped his forkful of cake into his lap, causing his eyes to snap open, that the other boys felt it safe to move again.

Sasuke stood quickly, helping Kiba out of the chair. "Bed for you, Kiba."

He protested feebly, insisting on lasting the whole night, but Sasuke managed to coax him into his room.

Naruto looked around the room subtly, making sure that Lee was asleep on the couch before tiptoeing over to Shika, who sat at the table, writing a return letter to Neji. He stood awkwardly for a few moments, briefly glancing over Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru looked up, his arm moving to cover the letter.

"Can I help you?"

Naruto coughed, looking at his toes, a blush coloring his cheeks. "Umm..."

Shikamaru sighed irritably, anxious to get back to writing. "What is it?"

Naruto looked towards Kiba's door, hearing what sounded like a soft lullaby in Sasuke's thick tenor. He bit his lip and turned back to Shikamaru.

"It's about…you and Neji. You two were…together….right?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"Well…" Naruto gulped. "How did you guys not get…caught?"

Shikamaru realized what he was talking about and had to restrain from laughing. Who knew Naruto would be such a prude? "Get caught…doing what?" He asked in mock sincerity, loving it when Naruto's cheeks colored further.

"You know—stuff."

Oh, he was evil. He really was. "Stuff? Like what…hugging? Kissing?"

"Stop it, Shikamaru, you know what I mean!" Naruto glared, annoyed at being made fun of.

"So you mean sex?"

Naruto nodded, trying to look angry instead of embarrassed.

"Just be cautious. Don't do anything blatant in front the nurses…and I wouldn't do anything in your room. Cameras, you know."

Naruto paled. Both times that he and Sasuke had…gone at it…it had been in his room. Shikamaru let out a disbelieving snort.

"You did it in your room?" he asked dryly, folding his arms over his chest.

"We never _did it_, but yeah, we…oh god, we're in trouble." He bit his lip harshly, and he began to pace.

Shikamaru grabbed his arm, halting him. "Relax Naruto. If they haven't talked to you about it yet, that means they don't know. They don't check the camera tapes twenty-four seven, you know."

Naruto exhaled, but he still looked wary.

"What possessed you to do the big nasty in a room full of cameras?" Shikamaru asked, smiling inwardly as Naruto got flustered again.

"We haven't done it yet!"

"Done what?" Sasuke asked, softly shutting Kiba's door behind him.

Naruto's mouth snapped shut as his eyes widened with embarrassment. Luckily, Shikamaru was finally done being malicious.

"Nothing that concerns you." He stood, and walked over to Lee, kicking him lightly in the side. The boy jerked awake with a gasp, a slight stream of drool escaping the corner of his mouth.

"Wha--?"

"Go to your bedroom," Shikamaru muttered before grabbing the unfinished letter from the table and retreating into his own room. Lee followed suit, saying "goodnight" to both Sasuke and Naruto.

Then they were alone.

Sasuke blinked in mild confusion as he saw Naruto's lingering blush. He walked over to the blonde, who was still staring at Shikamaru's closed door, and lightly grazed a hand against his hip. Naruto jumped at the contact and blushed even more.

"Ah—let's clean up. We should clean up," he said, quickly turning away from Sasuke towards the mess on the table.

Sasuke watched Naruto for several seconds before shrugging and going to find a bag for the trash. He knew Naruto wouldn't reveal anything if he pressured him, and, in all honesty, Naruto would probably end up giving himself away fairly soon anyways. Sasuke smirked with the knowledge that he would find out and that it was inevitably just a matter of time.

The two boys worked on cleaning up the aftermath of the party at a leisurely pace. Sasuke cleared off what little trash was left on the table after Kiba's maddening sweep of it earlier and wiped the table down. Naruto wandered around the room and picked up bits of wrapping paper and misplaced origami creatures. Occasionally he would wad them all up into a small ball and throw them at Sasuke's back, just to turn quickly when Sasuke would whip around.

Naruto wadded up another ball and chucked it quickly. He vaguely wondered when Sasuke would snap, or if he was really going to let him act this childishly as long as he wanted. Suddenly Sasuke spun on his heel and caught the ball just as it was about to hit him, eliciting a startled gasp from Naruto.

Sasuke smirked. "You done?" he asked condescendingly.

Naruto pouted and turned his back, bending over to retrieve a few last scraps of paper from the floor. He padded over to the still smirking Uchiha and dropped the trash in the bag Sasuke extended to him, then plopped down noisily in a chair at the table.

Sasuke tied the top of the bag into a tight knot and deposited it next to the door for the next morning. He returned to the table and sat down opposite of Naruto. Naruto looked up as Sasuke sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head, eyes still closed. "Nothing. Just tired."

Naruto smiled wryly. "Kiba tends to have that effect."

Sasuke chuckled softly at that, and Naruto smiled again at the sound. Sasuke laughed more than he had when he had first arrived at the hospital, but it still was a fairly rare occurrence, and Naruto practically swelled with pride every time he got a smile or laugh out of him.

"You want to go to bed?" Naruto asked, although he wasn't really tired yet.

Sasuke opened his eyes and shook his head again. At Naruto's questioning look, he smiled softly.

"I don't want to go to bed alone, and you're not ready."

Naruto's mouth dropped slightly. He wasn't used to be being read so easily. But then again, Sasuke was the first person he had really been honest around in a long, long time. So after a few moments, Naruto closed his mouth once more and smiled back at Sasuke, silently thanking him as he sat back in his chair.

They lingered in comfortable silence. The quiet was a welcome change after the mayhem that had been Kiba's birthday celebration.

Suddenly Naruto sat upright and was about to say something but suddenly blushed, searching for the words.

"By the way, um, we can't, uh...well when we..."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

Naruto colored a little more and took a deep breath, determined to stop acting like a bumbling schoolgirl. "When we do...stuff...we have to do it in your room."

Sasuke sat up slowly, a small pout forming. "But I like your bed!"

Naruto valiantly hid the smirk he felt coming on from Sasuke's whining tone. "I know. Believe me, I like mine better than yours. We can still sleep in my room, but..."

Sasuke's face quickly lost the pout. "Oh...the cameras..." He nodded. "Was that what you and Shika were talking about?"

Naruto nodded, looking down at the table's clean surface. Sasuke laughed again. At Naruto's glance he sobered but his eyes kept the same teasing twinkle.

"You're so conservative. It's cute."

At this Naruto promptly went into full-scale pout mode, crossing his arms against his chest and slouching in his chair. Sasuke grinned at the reaction and stood from the table.

"Want to play hangman?"

"No."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and went to get the paper and crayons anyways. Naruto scowled and dragged the toe of his show across the carptet as he watched Sasuke walk away. Suddenly his foot hit something, not very big but heavy enough to feel through the leather of his shoe. Naruto looked down under the table, only seeing random pieces of torn wrapping paper.

"You didn't clean everything up over here!" he called to Sasuke.

"So clean it up."

Naruto scowled again and reached a hand out to grab the errant papers. He had wadded them up and picked up the last piece when he saw something on the floor he hadn't noticed before. His eyes grew wide as they adjusted to the dimmer light and recognized the object.

The knife.

The knife Ten Ten had used to cut the cake.

Naruto unconsciously grasped the handle of the knife and stared at the blade. He could see his reflection in it, even with the diminished light under the table. Blue eyes stared back at him, pupils dilated.

Why was it still here? Why hadn't Ten Ten taken it away with her?

Why was it on the floor?

Suddenly Kiba's mad sweep of the table sprang to his mind's eye, and he understood. But he still held the knife tightly and stared at it, even as a part of him questioned why.

The sound of Sasuke's footsteps growing closer was enough to snap Naruto out of his mild trance. He moved to drop the knife...

...but found he couldn't. And to his horror, something in his mind shifted. Something that he had never been able to objectively observe, but still rang with familiarity. Something he had experienced before.

It was like sitting back and watching someone else man the controls. Naruto sat up when he heard Sasuke approaching the table and deftly hid the knife from Sasuke's sight under his thigh.

Sasuke slid noiselessly into his chair and lazily pushed a piece of paper and a purple crayon toward Naruto.

"We both know you want to play," Sasuke said condescendingly as he peeled back a bit of the paper on his crayon. When Naruto made no move to grab the paper and crayon, Sasuke sighed.

"Fine. I'll start." He sat up and reached across the table towards the paper but stopped as he looked up at Naruto. Something about the blonde's face bothered him...

Naruto wasn't acknowledging Sasuke's presence. He stared at some point on the table's surface without really seeing it, his eyes slightly glazed, his body completely motionless.

"Naruto?" asked Sasuke, doing his best to mask his concern. Naruto quickly shifted his eyes to meet Sasuke's.

"What?" he said in a monotone. Sasuke frowned. Naruto's eyes...they were darker, somehow. And the pupils seemed too large. His gaze was far too intense for comfort.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto forced a smile. "Let's play."

Sasuke slid the paper back over to his side but watched Naruto warily. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the muscles of his face tensed. He was much too focused...

But all Sasuke could do was take Naruto at his word. The last time Naruto had acted strangely, he had promised to talk to Sasuke before doing anything rash ever again, and Sasuke trusted him.

Unless...

No. Sasuke shook his head. Naruto would never try something while Sasuke was in the room with him, even if his condition took over. And Sasuke wasn't planning on leaving the room anytime soon.

So he settled back into his chair and started to draw out his diagram, all the while keeping an eye on Naruto.

Naruto was struggling fiercely in his own mind, trying to overcome whatever this thing was that was controlling him. He had known that something came over him at times, and tried to kill him, but he had always blacked out when that happened. This time was different. This time he was seeing things as they happened, with the knowledge of what was about to happen and no way of stopping it.

It was horrifying.

Sasuke finished drawing his hangman's noose and leisurely dashed a few blank lines below it.

"Okay, guess."

"S," Naruto immediately replied. Sasuke wrote the 'S' in the appropriate blank.

"T." Two 'T's added to the blanks.

"A." Sasuke's eye was starting to twitch.

"N." Sasuke glowed in triumph as he finally drew a big circle under the noose.

"E." Naruto kept guessing without missing a beat. Sasuke looked up then, frowning once more. Usually Naruto would have said something about Sasuke's silent gloating, or called him a name, or even pouted, but this Naruto...

Sasuke wrote in the 'E'.

"L." Sasuke watched Naruto closely this time as he drew the line representing the torso of the doomed stick figure. Again, Naruto made no sign of recognition. There was no competitive gleam in his eye.

And that was when Sasuke realized it.

Naruto was focused, yes...just not focused on him, or the game. Naruto was busy thinking about something else. And judging by the brief emotions flickering subtly over his face, Sasuke should be worried.

Naruto was busy screaming inside his head, trying anything he could to get this...thing to leave him alone, to let him regain control. Every so often, he could feel a sliver of command return in the form of shifting his eyes or twitching the corner of his mouth, but that was all he had been able to get back, and only if he focused really hard.

At that moment, whatever was in control of his body decided that it was time to make the move. Naruto screamed louder but to no avail as he felt his hand slowly withdraw the knife from its hiding place underneath his leg. He wished he could look down at it, or tilt his head, or something, just to get Sasuke's attention, but he couldn't. All he could see was the paper between him and Sasuke, and Sasuke's worried glances every so often.

_Please worry, Sasuke. Please, keep worrying. Please notice something is wrong!_

_I don't want to die..._

Naruto focused as hard as he possibly could, trying to gain function of anything in his body. His hand brought the knife to rest on the top of his leg, two inches from the start of his knee cap. Gently, sickeningly gently, the tip of the blade penetrated the thin cloth of his pants and met unprotected skin, breaking its surface easily. Naruto knew it should have hurt but he couldn't register any pain, or rather any reaction to the pain, as he felt the knife digging deeper, until it sliced through the artery there.

Horrified, Naruto felt the blood seeping out from his leg and running down to meet the floor. He knew it was only a matter of time now...

And with that realization came desperation like he hadn't possessed before, something that only the survival instinct could provide. Naruto put all of his willpower into kicking that thing out of the driver's seat in his mind.

"Naruto. Guess," Sasuke said in an irritated tone, still watching carefully but trying not to let it show.

"R."

Something in Naruto's voice made Sasuke stop before he drew a leg. For a second, there had been...a tremor.

Sasuke looked up once again, but this time he saw flickers of the Naruto he knew. The face muscles were still tensed, the brow still furrowed, but the eyes looked alive now, lighter in color once again and shifting quickly, looking...

...afraid?

Sasuke looked back to his paper and drew the leg on the stick figure slowly. He knew something wasn't right, but he had no idea if he should involve the doctors yet. He didn't want to cause Naruto any pain by inducing their worry and thus their incessant tests. But he also knew he wasn't capable of handling everything himself when it came to Naruto.

"Sasuke."

The trembling voice shook Sasuke from his thoughts and he looked up quickly. This time the expression in Naruto's eyes made his blood run cold.

Naruto's eyes looked terrified, in stark contrast to the rest of his face.

"Naruto, what's go--"

Before Sasuke could finish the question a faint smell hit him. The smell he knew so well, the smell he had fervently wished to never have to endure again in his life.

Blood.

Sasuke sat completely still, praying to any god listening that he was wrong, that he wasn't smelling _that_, but the smell only grew stronger and Sasuke's eyes only grew as he watched Naruto's face pale with each passing second.

Naruto knew he had Sasuke's attention, and that he was about to discover what was going on, but he also knew he didn't have enough time left to let the Uchiha sit there in denial like a freaking stone, trying to wish it away. If he had had the capabilities, he would have screamed at the boy and hit him over the head with something hard, preferably a brick, or something pointy. As it was, he had no such capabilities, so he focused as hard as he could, even with his waning strength, and managed to get out a whisper.

"_Help."_

The plea was enough. Sasuke leapt from his chair then and rushed around the table. The sight that met him was ghastly.

Naruto sat in his chair clenching a kitchen knife in one hand, his head staying still but his eyes staring back helplessly at Sasuke. Blood was pouring from a cut on the top of his right thigh and pooling around his foot on the floor. It was enough to make Sasuke want to throw up.

And he just about did, when the realization hit him that the people in his life sure had a thing with knives and massive amounts of blood spilling from their arteries.

Then Sasuke chose to shut his mind down to those kind of thoughts. There were far more important things to be focusing on than the ironies of his life. He quickly ran to Naruto, ignoring the voice in his head screaming at him to stay as far away from that bloody knife as possible. He tore off his shirt, balled it up and pressed it firmly against the cut. He grabbed Naruto's right hand and wrenched the knife from it, sending it clattering to the floor as he placed the hand over his shirt.

"Hold this there, tightly, okay, Naruto? Tightly!"

Then Sasuke ran to the wall and slammed his fist against the red button. Immediately an alarm sounded. Sasuke turned and ran back to Naruto, only to find the shirt on the floor and Naruto swinging his right foot back and forth rapidly underneath the chair in what Sasuke could only assume was an attempt to rush more blood to the gash.

"Stop! Naruto! STOP MOVING!" Sasuke sat, heedless of the blood on the floor as he tried to wrestle Naruto's leg into immobility.

"...can't..." he heard whispered above him, and he looked up to find Naruto's eyelids fluttering, his eyes about to roll back into his head.

"No!" Sasuke yelled desperately and roughly hauled Naruto out of the chair and into his lap. He deftly hooked his leg over Naruto's still kicking one, doing his best to render it motionless as he slapped at Naruto's cheeks.

"Naruto. NARUTO! You have to stay awake!"

Naruto's eyes fluttered again. He looked up weakly at Sasuke and moved his mouth slightly. Sasuke leaned down to hear the feeble whisper.

"...sorry..."

"Shh, you're fine," crooned Sasuke, rocking his and Naruto's bodies back and forth gently. He tried to sound comforting, even as he could feel his heart pounding against Naruto's back. "You're fine. You're going to be fine. Don't be sorry. You're fine."

Naruto's eyes closed once more as his breathing became shallower. Sasuke wasn't sure if the boy's skin could get any more white.

_Where are the goddamn nurses!_ Sasuke found himself thinking desperately.

"What's going on?"

Sasuke looked up to see Lee coming out of his room, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Shikamaru came walking out of his room then. He stopped at the sight of Naruto, bloody and unconscious.

"Hurry, Shika, grab my shirt and push it against his leg!" Sasuke barked out. Shikamaru rushed to obey. "Lee, quickly, go into Kiba's room and stay in there with him. DO _NOT_ LET HIM COME OUT HERE." Lee nodded and ran into Kiba's room.

Sasuke breathed a small sigh as Shikamaru pushed hard against Naruto's leg to try to stop the bleeding. He had forgotten the other boys were even there.

And then the nurses and doctors came running in, wrenching Naruto from his grasp and laying him none too gently on a stretcher. A nurse quickly stretched out Sasuke's shirt and tied it tightly around the gash while another strapped an oxygen mask over Naruto's mouth and nose.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke looked to his side then. Shizune was talking to him.

"What ha--"

"The knife—Ten Ten left the kni—He cut his leg and it's bleeding, badly...hurry!" Sasuke rambled, the terror of the situation finally catching up with him. "He's dying. Please don't let him die!"

Shizune grabbed Sasuke harshly by the shoulders. It was enough to silence him for a moment.

"Sasuke, listen to me. Naruto is going to be fine. All we have to do is sew up the wound and get him some blood. Okay? Do you hear me? He's going to be _fine_."

Sasuke nodded even as a few tears fell on his cheeks. He watched as Naruto was sped out of the room and down the hall. As soon as the boy's stretcher was out of sight Shizune lead Sasuke over to the couch and sat him down gently.

"He'll be fine, Sasuke. Stay calm, alright? I have to go now."

Sasuke nodded as Shizune hurriedly left the room, the door clicking shut behind her. The room rang in with the silence that now pervaded it.

Sasuke sat staring at nothing, hugging his knees to his chest. Everything felt numb, even his mind...

After awhile, Sasuke heard the click of the door and looked over to it to see Shizune entering again. Whether a minute or twenty minutes had passed since she had left, he had no idea.

Shizune went over to the table where Shikamaru was kneeling on the floor. The two conversed in low tones and then Shizune knelt beside Shikamaru, taking something from his hand as she did so. Sasuke peered further over the back of the couch to see what they were doing.

They were cleaning up the blood. Shikamaru's pants and the bottoms of his sleeves were red with it as he sat on the floor, mopping up the mess with paper towels. Shizune had placed the still-bloodied knife on the table and was now crouching down to help Shikamaru.

Sasuke watched with detached interest as the puddle was cleaned up and the pile of red paper towels grew on the floor. Shizune stood and reopened the trash bag that was sitting next to the door. She started depositing the towels in the bag, then said something quietly to Shikamaru. Shikamaru nodded and proceeded to strip down to his boxers. He silently handed over the bloodied clothes to Shizune, who put those in the bag as well, and went into the bathroom. Sasuke could hear the water in the sink running, and then it being turned off.

"Sasuke."

Shizune was talking to him again. Sasuke looked at her blankly.

"Take off your clothes."

Sasuke stood and mechanically removed his pants and his shirt and gave them to Shizune. He stared at his hands then. They were still bloody.

Then he saw a hand covering one of his and followed the arm with his eyes to find Shikamaru now standing in front of him.

"Come on. We'll wash it off," Shikamaru said quietly. Sasuke nodded. Shikamaru slowly lead Sasuke towards the bathroom, walking backwards himself.

"Shizune?" he called out to the doctor, who had grabbed the bag and the knife from the table and was about to leave. She looked back at him over her shoulder from the doorway.

"Keep us posted, please? About anything. Wake us up, okay?"

Shizune nodded and smiled softly. "I will," she said, and then she left, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Shikamaru brought Sasuke into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. He drew Sasuke's hands underneath the flow and lathered them in soap. Sasuke watched as the reddish brown bubbles ran off his fingers and into the sink, swirling into the drain. Shikamaru scrubbed at his fingers, having to lather the soap a few times to get them clean.

Sasuke withdrew one of his hands from the sink while Shikamaru worked on the other. He looked at one of his fingers closely.

Blood was caked underneath his nail.

Sasuke stared at it, unbidden tears coming to his eyes. Shikamaru reached out for the hand but stopped, seeing Sasuke about to cry. He looked at the nail, then, grasping the finger lightly, hooked his own nail underneath, scraping out the dried blood. A single tear escaped down Sasuke's cheek as Shikamaru worked on each fingernail meticulously.

"Sasuke?" Shika murmured as he cleaned the last nail. "Naruto will be okay. I promise. He's going to be fine. Shizune said all they have to do is get him some blood, and that he has a common blood type, so there shouldn't be a problem at all."

Sasuke nodded and took a shaky breath. "Good."

Shikamaru finished washing Sasuke's hands and patted them dry with a towel, then looked him in the eye. "You found him in time. So he's going to be fine."

Sasuke nodded again, this time with more certainty. "Okay."

"Okay," Shikamaru repeated, turning to leave the bathroom. "Come on, I'll get you some clothes."

Sasuke followed Shikamaru out of the bathroom and sat down on the couch. Shikamaru returned a minute later fully dressed and carrying a blanket, a tee shirt and a pair of light cotton pants. He tossed the clothes on Sasuke's lap.

"Put them on," he ordered mildly and walked into Naruto's bedroom. Sasuke complied, donning the garments that were slightly too large for him. Shikamaru returned again, this time with Naruto's blanket and two pillows in hand. Sasuke had never been more grateful for Shika's intuition as Shikamaru handed him one of the pillows and Naruto's blanket, then sat down on the other side of the couch with his own blanket and the other pillow and started to position himself to sleep.

"Thank you, Shika," he whispered. Shikamaru grunted lazily, his own version of a "you're welcome", and laid his head down on the pillow against the armrest.

Sasuke sat back down and situated himself as comfortably as he could. He knew he didn't want to fall asleep. He already had an idea of what his dreams would be like tonight.

But the chaos of the day began to catch up to him, and he felt his eyelids drooping. He struggled to maintain consciousness, even though he knew he was fighting a useless battle.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, one thought hit him, one that would keep at bay the worst of his nightmares this night:

Naruto had known. This time he had been aware of what was happening, and he had even been able to override some of his condition enough to communicate, however primitively. And that meant...

That meant there was hope for Naruto.

**OoOo.**

**Ok, so that was a long wait. Gosh. Please believe me when I say that life has kinda been kicking mirandler43 and I in the teeth lately, and this was as soon as we could possibly get it out. It's a long one too, as a kind of peace offering. Oh, and mirandler43 and I have this story pretty much mapped out, and we're planning on it lasting about…seven more chapters. All of which, should be action packed, so keep with us.**

**Remember the friendly review competition between us and AFF? The score stands at:**

**Fanfiction: 195**

**AFF: 170**

**The gap is closing very quickly my friends. Now, if you're sick of hearing me beg for reviews, just skip this part. It's just that AFF got 49 reviews for the last chapter and we got…25. So if you have read this fic, liked it or hate it, any feedback is valued greatly.**

**My special love and thanks to all of our readers. Expect the next chapter sooner than this one.**

**Laters.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: We don't own 'em. We cry at night.**

**Warning: Boy loving. Leave now if you don't like it. Otherwise...**

**Onwards.**

Only Lee was taking advantage of being outside. Sasuke, Kiba and Shikamaru sat with their backs to a side of the only tree in the courtyard, neither speaking a word. Sasuke watched with detached interest as Lee jogged half-heartedly around the edges of the brick wall. Eventually the boy slowed to an ambitious walk, then a slow crawl, lazily kicking away a few stones that were in his path.

Then, with a sudden scrunching of eyes Lee began to wail. The three watched as he slammed his body back against the wall and slid down, folding his legs awkwardly underneath himself. Lee sobbed loudly and fisted his hands against his eyes, fat tears making their way down his round cheeks. This continued for several minutes, the other boys remaining still as Lee's sobs turned into howls.

Finally Sasuke nudged Shikamaru with his elbow. When he got no response he tried the elbow again. Shikamaru sighed wearily and rose to his feet. He started towards where Lee sat...

Until Lee's anguished shrieks reached a harsher octave and decibel. Shikamaru turned back towards Sasuke with a pitiful look on his face. If it had been in keeping with Shikamaru's personality, Sasuke was sure Shikamaru would have been whimpering.

"Go."

Shikamaru started to shake his head but Sasuke butted in.

"Go. You're the only one he listens to when he gets like this."

Shikamaru sighed again before a look of hope flickered across his face. He leaned over to look in Kiba's direction.

"Oh, no, no," said Kiba hastily, waving his hands in front of him. "Not my job." Shikamaru gave Sasuke one last pleading glance.

"I don't do empathy," said Sasuke in a monotone voice as he resumed watching Lee.

Shikamaru's eyes widened comically. "And I do?!"

Sasuke's glare was enough to convince Shikamaru that his was a lost cause. He started back towards Lee, watching in horror as the boy's face began to turn purple. With a grimace he sat down next to Lee. Lee proceeded to launch himself into the unwitting genius's arms.

Shikamaru stiffened immediately and looked in desperation over to the tree. He scowled at Sasuke, whose eyes were averted but whose mouth was covered with one hand and shoulders were shaking suspiciously. Lee's sobs brought Shikamaru's attention back to the matter at hand.

Shikamaru awkwardly snaked an arm around the distraught boy's quaking torso and patted him gently between tense shoulder blades.

"It's okay, Lee," he murmured. Lee sniffled not so cutely.

"You don't even know what's wrong!" he wailed. Shikamaru began to laugh quietly.

Lee looked up in surprise. "What's so funny?"

Shikamaru shook his head and leaned in a little closer before whispering, "Sometimes you're such a girl."

Lee leaned back as far as he could out of the embrace and stared incredulously at Shikamaru. Shikamaru just laughed again, which had a predictable effect on Lee. As Lee's eyes filled with new tears, Shikamaru bit back the rest of his laughter and drew Lee closer to him again.

"Come on now, Lee," he said in a placating tone. Lee hiccupped but took a shaky breath anyways. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

Lee still shook slightly as he tried to calm himself. "It's just—_hic­­_—Naruto has been go—_hic_—gone for three days."

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes, he has," he responded, not really sure what the problem was.

"When is he coming back?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Probably tomorrow. Shizune said that he's doing fine and that they just need to make sure that the stitches in the artery aren't going to--" He stopped abruptly as he felt Lee's head drop heavily onto his shoulder. His hand resumed its gentle strokes against Lee's back of its own accord as he waited for him to speak again.

Finally Lee sighed. "Why...why did he do that? Why did he cut himself like that?" And that was when Shikamaru realized that this was Lee's first time going through this ordeal. It was slightly disturbing to Shikamaru to know that Naruto's repeated suicide attempts were an accepted norm in this reality. Lee had no idea what was even wrong with Naruto. So Shikamaru gently set about the task of telling yet another new resident the details of Naruto's condition.

By the time he had finished, Lee was looking back at him with wide round eyes, all traces of hiccups gone.

"So he can't control it?"

Shika wrinkled his forehead in thought. "Well, he couldn't control it before this last time. He always said that he couldn't remember what happened, that it was like something else took over his mind and shut him out. But this time...well, according to Sasuke's account, Naruto was able to attract attention before it was too late."

He looked Lee in the eye and smiled slightly. "So it looks like Naruto may be improving."

Lee twitched up a corner of his mouth in response before he dropped his eyes to his lap. Shikamaru craned his neck down to look at him.

"What, Lee?"

"Are you improving, Shika?" Lee answered, keeping his eyes averted. Shikamaru was a little startled by the question and was quiet for a few moments before responding.

"Well, yeah, I think so." Lee's eyes shot up to regard Shikamaru. "I mean, I've been working with Shizune to find a way to...to not have to rely on my meds, and it's going alright. I still have bad times, but I'm learning to differentiate what's real from what isn't. Mostly right now I'm trying to see when I'm being paranoid for no good reason. Hopefully someday I'll be able to not need my meds and I can get out of here."

Lee nodded but didn't say anything. Shikamaru observed him quietly.

"You know you're going to get out of here, too, right?"

"Yeah, right." Lee rolled his eyes. "Everytime I think I'll stay happy, I just end up more sad."

"Lee," said Shikamaru exasperatedly. "You're bipolar. That's more fixable than any of our problems. You're probably going leave before any of us." Lee looked at him in disbelief. "No, you will," Shikamaru hastened to explain. "I'm schizophrenic. I'm a menace to society. Sasuke's...well, he's Sasuke. He's just angsty for no reason." Lee snorted. "Okay, he has a reason. But he still can't live on his own. Kiba is just scary to imagine out of here. He needs to grow up first. And Naruto can't leave or he'll kill himself within days. Seriously, Lee, you're _just bipolar_."

Lee struck a thoughtful pose, a sure sign he was returning to his normal self. "You think so?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Lee, I don't even know why you're here. Your condition is easily medicated. The only thing keeping you here under supervision is your phobia."

Lee nodded slowly. Neither boy noticed Sasuke's head jerking up or his black eyes watching them curiously. But before he could say anything, Shikamaru was grasping Lee by the shoulders and helping him up off the ground.

"So what makes you say I will get out of here then? I cannot take the medicine," said Lee, twisting to brush bits of dried leaves off the back of his pants and working on the sleeves of Shikamaru's shirt. "And if I cannot take the medicine, then my condition will not be medicated, and I will not get better."

Shikamaru waited in silence until Lee picked off the last pieces and turned somber eyes to meet his. He squeezed Lee's shoulders slightly.

"If I can do it without meds, so can you. I know you can." And with a self-assured nod Shikamaru patted Lee one last time and started back towards the tree to the two other boys who still sat there silently. Lee's eyes followed him for a few moments as he walked away before smiling slowly and turning to follow.

Sasuke watched the lazy genius make his way towards him with Lee following closely on his heels, not sure of what to make of what he had just heard transpire. Phobia? Lee? It stood to reason that if Lee had an aversion to something, the group would have heard about it by now, and loudly.

Kiba's startled yelp brought Sasuke out of his brief reverie in time for him to register himself being hauled up from the ground none too gently. Sasuke leveled his gaze on Lee's enthusiastic face.

"You two have not gotten any exercise!"

"So?" Kiba pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"SO?! You must participate in regular physical activity to fully take advantage of your wondrous YOUTH!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and was about to plop back down against the tree when Lee roughly grabbed his and Kiba's wrists and dragged them to a spot next to the brick wall.

"WE SHALL RACE!" Lee shrieked. Kiba groaned. Sasuke glared. Shikamaru pointed and laughed.

Sasuke ran full speed at a now-scared Shikamaru.

"OKAY! WE'LL GO THIS WAY!!" And Lee gave chase.

* * *

Naruto tottered behind Ten Ten as gracefully as a fourteen-year-old boy on crutches with one leg in a moving cast can totter. He should have been confined to bed for another day, but after three days of constant whining, complaining, and pranks gone wrong, the nurses had made an executive decision to get the blonde home. So now he wore a brace on his injured leg to minimize movement and used crutches to eliminate the need to place any pressure on it.

"Ten Ten, slow _down!_" Naruto whined as he tried to keep up with the nurse's long steps. Ten Ten looked back at him and stopped abruptly.

"Sorry, I forgot," she murmured as Naruto caught up, taking huge strides with his crutches with a reckless grin on his face. "Slow down!" she shrieked.

Naruto stopped beside her and smirked. "Sorry, I forgot," he repeated back to her impishly.

Ten Ten stood frowning at him for several seconds before suddenly changing tactics. Starting to walk away, she thrust her nose arrogantly in the air. "Fine, whatever, Naruto. You rip those stitches, you're back in bed. And I won't save you from the nurses this time."

Naruto seemed to consider that briefly, judging by the look of horror that crossed his face at the thought of the revenge the nurses were likely to take on him. Ten Ten grinned smugly as she heard the blonde sigh but turned on her heel quickly, frown firmly back in place, when she heard the frantic clacking of crutches behind her.

Naruto caught Ten Ten's disapproving look and halted. "That time I really forgot!" he said, slowly walking up to her then. Ten Ten just shook her head and began once again towards the end of the hallway. These boys frustrated her so much sometimes. But, damn it, they made her life full, too.

"Now, Naruto," she started to rattle off, "you can't be rough. You can't run, you can't kick--"

"Yeah, yeah, I _know_, Ten Ten," said Naruto in a bored tone. "I can't stand on my leg. I got that."

"But you have to be careful about the actual cut too. No pressure on it--"

"Ten Ten," Naruto interrupted again. "I am not Kiba. Who do you honestly think I'm going to be jumping all over?"

Ten Ten gave him a pointed look. And then, Naruto...

...blushed twelve shades of fuschia.

"Look," said Ten Ten, stopping at the door to the wing and turning to look at Naruto, "just...stay in his bedroom, okay?"

Naruto was beyond mortified. He couldn't look Ten Ten in the eye, so he settled for nodding as he reached for the door handle. Ten Ten watched in amusement as he opened the door and awkwardly shuffled inside.

Then, to her mild surprise, Naruto turned from inside the room to look up at her, cheeks still ablaze but eyes steadfast.

"Sorry," he said in a clear voice. "We'll be more careful." And with that he let the door fall shut. Ten Ten stood staring at the shut door for a good five seconds before she burst out laughing.

Sometimes these boys were such _girls_...

But Ten Ten wasn't complaining. The juvenile drama was what kept her going sometimes.

* * *

"Sorry. We'll be more careful."

Sasuke sat up from where he had been lying on the couch reading to find the back of Naruto talking through the doorway to Ten Ten, who looked like she was hiding a grin with some difficulty. Naruto let go of the door he had been holding and turned around awkwardly, grimacing a little as he put his weight on the crutches again. Keeping his eyes on the ground ahead of him, he made his way into his bedroom and shut the door softly behind him with a sigh.

Sasuke watched the boy struggle. He took in the grimace, the sigh, the slow steps, but of all those, it was Naruto's face that bothered Sasuke the most. Sasuke had been expecting, albeit foolishly he now realized, a peaceful, happy homecoming, nothing dramatic. Now he wished he would have prepared for...well, he wasn't sure what. But something obviously wasn't right. Especially since Naruto hadn't even tried to seek him out...

Curiousity eventually won out. Sasuke walked over to the bedroom and quietly opened the door, peeking his head around the corner. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Crutches had been randomly dropped on the floor and a shirt had joined them there. Naruto lay on the bed on his stomach, face turned away from Sasuke, spread eagled and not moving from where he had originally slumped. Sasuke leaned against the doorframe.

"Hey stranger."

Sasuke was waiting for Naruto to jerk upright, or roll over in surprise, or even just raise his head at the sound of his voice. But to his surprise, and slowly growing qualms, Naruto just opened an eye, looked at him, and mumbled a quiet "hey Sasuke". Sasuke frowned then.

It had been three days. Three long days without news, without blonde, without someone else to keep an eye on Kiba, without kisses in the morning. Sasuke wasn't the only who was feeling the loss...

...was he?

Sasuke crossed his arms across his chest defiantly. No. He couldn't be. And he would snap Naruto out of whatever stupor he was caught up in.

So it was that Sasuke could be found on the bed simultaneously straddling Naruto's thighs and flipping him onto his back.

"Ow, watch it!" Naruto growled. Sasuke grinned as he saw that familiar spark in Naruto's eyes. He felt a tingle of excitement as he swept down to steal a kiss, but stopped short when that look faded from Naruto's face and Naruto turned his head to the side. Sasuke frowned down at him.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke nuzzled his nose up against Naruto's cheek. Naruto's breath hitched and before he could control himself he was leaning into the touch. A soft noise from Sasuke brought him back to reality.

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto said louder, doing what he could to distance himself from Sasuke's face. Sasuke looked genuinely confused. He sat up slowly, still straddling Naruto.

"Why?"

"Because," said Naruto, sitting up to rest his weight on his elbows, "because...I don't think we should be doing this."

Sasuke stared at Naruto in stunned silence for a moment before flailing his arms in bewilderment. "Why the hell not?!"

Naruto sighed. "Because, it's...would you get off me please?" he asked in an exasperated tone. Sasuke crossed his arms.

"No."

Naruto sighed again. "It's bad for my leg."

Sasuke looked down at the brace he now realized he was sitting on top of, torn between jumping off of the injured leg and between staying put until Naruto renounced whatever this joke was that he was playing. He shifted his weight a little, causing Naruto to hiss softly in pain. With a short growl Sasuke crawled off the bed and stood at Naruto's feet, staring intensely at the blonde.

"Because it's not good for us to be together," continued Naruto, fingering his brace idly with a finger while steeling himself for the inevitable explosion that was sure to come.

"How—when did...Naruto?" Sasuke finally managed to get out, looking bewildered.

"Honestly, Sasuke. How could you still want to be with me?"

Sasuke's eyes only got wider. "Are you kidding me?"

Naruto scooted to the edge of the bed so that one leg was bent and the other was sticking out straight in front of him. "No, I'm not _kidding you_. I almost...with you there..." Naruto paused, biting his bottom lip as he struggled for words. Finally he looked up at Sasuke with eyes swimming with emotion. "I won't hurt you anymore. I can't. I can't let myself be the reason for--"

"Don't I get a say in this?!" interjected Sasuke angrily.

"No!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do!"

"Three times," Naruto hissed suddenly. His voice made Sasuke's blood run cold. "_Three times_ I almost...left you. Alone."

"Well, really there was only the one time that was your choice," said Sasuke, trying to lighten the mood. Naruto just glared at him.

"You get involved with me, you get hurt. Why can't you see that?!"

"Look," said Sasuke, taking a step back from the bed, "all I can see is that you clearly made up your mind about this before I had any chance of talking you down."

"So?" mumbled Naruto insolently.

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something but then clenched it shut again, his black eyes taking on a flatness. "Fine," he said blankly. Naruto blinked at the sudden calm but cringed at the door slamming behind Sasuke's retreating back.

* * *

Naruto hobbled out to the common room, intent on locking himself in the bathroom for an indeterminable amount of time.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked up from the floor to see Shika sitting at the table. "Hey, Shika," he said wearily.

Shikamaru took his time assessing Naruto, much to Naruto's fidgeting discomfort. After a thorough glance, Shikamaru nodded and turned back to his playing cards. "Sasuke's in his room," he said offhandedly.

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, I know."

Shikamaru couldn't help but look up again when he heard Naruto's voice. It sounded...pained. And when he looked up, he found a face to match.

"Kiba's not here, is he?" Naruto asked suddenly, looking around in apprehension. He didn't think he could handle Kiba's exuberance at this moment.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, Shizune took him about twenty minutes ago for their meeting. And Lee's outside."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Running laps," Shikamaru supplied.

"Who's idea was that?"

Shika just smirked as he shuffled his deck.

Naruto laughed then. "Beautiful. You're a genius."

"Yes, I know. Why aren't you with Sasuke?"

The abruptness of the question quickly silenced any bantering spirit Naruto had left in him. Shikamaru watched curiously as Naruto's eyes flickered over to rest briefly on Sasuke's closed door.

Naruto closed his eyes. He could feel the tension that came with making his decision slowly filling his body. With a sigh, he turned his head back from the door and started making his way towards the bathroom once again.

"Am I not here?"

"Not now, Shika," Naruto called from the doorway.

"Later then."

Naruto gave a noncommittal grunt before he entered the bathroom. Shikamaru regarded the closing door silently for a few moments, then turned back to his game of solitaire. His brow furrowed in thought as he dealt out the cards mindlessly.

He had not seen anything like this coming.

And he certainly had no desire to deal with the drama this split would surely bring. Shikamaru wrinkled his nose as he thought of the implications. Sasuke would be pissed off all the time, Naruto would have an excuse to let that god-awful guilt complex of his grow to all new proportions, Kiba would be confused and thus annoying as hell, and Lee—

A picture passed through Shikamaru's mind: Lee, bawling wetly into Shikamaru's shirt, screaming about the pain of unrequited love. His hands stilled as his eyes grew wide in horror. Shikamaru didn't mind Lee's company any more, but at the same time he would do whatever was necessary to avoid Lee's little "episodes" that always seemed to involve crushing hugs and shirts soaked with tears.

So Shikamaru did the only logical thing that came to mind. He promptly stalked over to Sasuke's door and banged on it with his fist until the door swung open, revealing a justifiably irate Sasuke.

"Not now, Shika."

"Yeah, I've been getting a lot of that lately," said Shikamaru as he walked boldly past Sasuke into the bedroom. He knew what he had to do.

He would not suffer another gross wet shirt.

* * *

Naruto closed the door behind him firmly before leaning his crutches up against the wall. He hopped on one foot to the sink and grasped the edges carefully, leaning the front of his body against the cold porcelain. He could practically hear Ten Ten's shrill reprimand about him being reckless. Sighing, he turned on the water and quickly lathered up his hands with soap, watching his reflection as he scrubbed.

Tired blue eyes looked back at him, darker in appearance than normal, although the bags under them may have been responsible for that illusion. The last few days had been hard on him. Despite what the nurses that had been watching him were apt to say about his irritatingly insatiable appetite for fun, he was not feeling cheerful in the least. The truth was that he had just wanted to get out of intensive care as quickly as possible, and the easiest way to do that was to convince everyone that he was the complete opposite of depressed and suicidal. So, true to form, he slapped on an idiotic grin, played a few pranks and was declared an insufferable clown.

He smiled sarcastically at himself in the mirror. That smile had always worked for him.

Except with Sasuke.

With that thought he frowned, looking back down at his hands. Sasuke had been able to see past his pretense from his first day at the hospital. No one had called him out so quickly, and so bluntly. Although, Shikamaru had always been able to do that, too, when he had felt like it. But then again, Shikamaru had known him since before he had developed the habit of putting up a front, so Naruto supposed it wasn't so difficult to believe that Shikamaru would easily be able to see past it.

But Sasuke hadn't known him back then. He had no way of knowing. And yet he had blown past Naruto's falsely peaceful smile almost immediately. And Naruto had seen past Sasuke's mask of apathy as well. Didn't that mean _something_, that they had a different kind of connection, since they could each see through the other so easily?

Naruto snorted at the cliché turn his thoughts were taking. While still careful to keep his weight against the sink he leaned down and splashed cold water on his face, mentally shaking his head to clear away these thoughts. He dunked his head harshly under the flow, wetting his hair. Seriously, at this rate, his body was on a very fast route to sprouting breasts...

Suddenly the door slammed behind him. Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, raising his head quickly out of the stream of water and scraping his scalp against the faucet in the process.

"Ah!" Naruto groaned, bringing his hands up quickly to grasp his stinging head and realizing a half-second too late that he only had one good leg. Before he could even think about reacting, his injured leg had given out, sending him hurtling backwards.

_Shit_, was all Naruto had time to think as he closed his eyes tightly in anticipation of impact. Thoughts flew through his head; images of the stitches in his artery tearing, of his cut reopening, of Ten Ten screaming at him for his stupidity and carelessness flooded his awareness. But before the imaginary beating could commence Naruto found his fall stopping harshly just short of the floor. Fingers gripped him firmly underneath his shoulders, prodding bruises from the crutches and sending spasms of pain up and down his arms. Naruto hissed as he exhaled through gritted teeth and squirmed, trying to get away from those fingers.

"Stop."

The voice immediately caused Naruto to still. He opened his eyes and looked above him. Dark eyes peered back, curtained by a thick veil of black hair.

"What's with you and coming in the bathroom when you know someone's in it already? Some weird fetish of yours?"

Sasuke snorted. "I haven't gotten to come in the bathroom once, thanks to your weird germ thing."

Naruto glared icily at him. "You know what I mean," he said tersely.

Sasuke shrugged, causing his fingers to shift and Naruto to wince. "Well, I figure, if I hadn't barged in that first time, there wouldn't have been a need for a second time, now, would there?"

"How _dare_ you!" seethed Naruto, struggling all the more frantically as anger threatened to boil over at Sasuke's nerve.

"Seems to me," Sasuke continued, just tightening his grip, "that I have every reason to barge in here as I see fit."

"Let me up!" Naruto yelled, now flailing without regard to his injury.

"No."

"Sasuke, you inconsiderate BASTARD! Let me UP!!"

Sasuke's face tightened in concentration then. Naruto let out a startled yelp as he felt his body suddenly swinging up and around until he was upright facing Sasuke, his lower back resting against the sink. Naruto looked up at Sasuke as the brunette regarded him silently. Dark eyes narrowed in determination and something else Naruto couldn't quite place, which had an unsettling effect.

"Sasuke," he started uneasily. Sasuke inched closer, minutely adjusting his still-present hands underneath Naruto's arms, his eyes growing even more unreadable. Naruto cleared his throat.

"Sasuke," he repeated in what he hoped was a firm tone. "I've made up my mind--"

"No," Sasuke whispered, continuing to invade Naruto's personal space, which was doing nothing for Naruto's slowly crumbling resolve.

"Damn it, Sasuke, quit messing with my head!" Naruto suddenly burst out, putting his hands on Sasuke's chest in an effort to gain some distance. "It was hard enough to make this decision."

_Please, don't make me doubt it._

Sasuke craned his neck down slightly and dropped a tender kiss on the tip of Naruto's nose. Naruto's eyes slid shut. Sasuke gently kissed the closed eyelids, his warm breath making the blonde shudder.

"Sasuke," he whimpered. Sasuke responded with a lightly pressed kiss to Naruto's cheekbone, where pink was slowly blooming. Naruto groaned through gritted teeth, trying desperately to remember all of the reasons he had catalogued in his mind to be used to deter Sasuke in such a situation as this. But Sasuke's soft mouth moving against the corner of his was making rational thought increasingly difficult.

Naruto let out a harsh gasp as Sasuke's lips traced along his jawline and down his throat. They lingered over his pulse, teeth nipping gently, tongue darting out to soothe irritated skin.

"Sasuke, _please,_" Naruto heard himself whisper, although he wasn't sure what he was asking for anymore. Sasuke moved upwards, grazing his cheek along Naruto's as he hesitantly drew Naruto's ear lobe into his mouth. Naruto sighed heavily then, giving Sasuke the last bit of encouragement he needed. He bit down softly, massaging the soft flesh gently between his teeth. Slowly his hands left Naruto's upper torso and dragged slowly down his arms until they rested on top of Naruto's, still lingering on Sasuke's chest.

Naruto opened his eyes when he felt Sasuke lifting his hands and watched him lower them to the edges of the sink. He looked back up at Sasuke, his brow wrinkled in question. Sasuke leaned forward again, kissing Naruto's forehead. Then he withdrew, looking down as he lifted his hands and brought them to Naruto's front. Deftly, he slipped his fingers underneath the waistband of Naruto's pants and slid them down his hips until they dropped to the floor, revealing his hardening member.

Naruto groaned now in anticipation and reached a hand towards Sasuke's groin, eager to get Sasuke in the same position, but stopped short when he felt one of Sasuke's hands grasp his. He watched, bewildered, as Sasuke moved his hand back to rest at the edge of the sink, gently curling each of his fingers around the porcelain.

"Sasuke, what--" Naruto started to ask but fell silent as he watched Sasuke drop to his knees. Dark eyes looked up at him somberly. Naruto gulped.

Sasuke returned his gaze to the steadily growing erection and immediately set to work before Naruto could find his tongue to argue. Grasping the base of the cock with one hand, he tentatively swiped at its head with his tongue. A strangled noise came out of Naruto's mouth before he could stop it. Sasuke looked up, only to find Naruto staring back at him, his eyes wide. Sasuke reached forward with his tongue again, this time watching Naruto's face as he swirled around the head with more confidence. Naruto quickly clenched his jaw shut against the sounds that wanted to come out.

Sasuke began to work his way down the length, pausing every few licks to pull the cock partially out of his mouth to focus his attention on the head once again. Above him, Naruto was struggling to keep quiet. He hadn't imagined anything that could have ever felt this good, and as he felt his knees weakening, he gripped the sink tightly to keep from slipping down.

Sasuke was now taking as much of Naruto into his mouth as he could, doing his best to calm his gag reflex as the cock hit the back of his throat repeatedly. He felt Naruto begin to weakly buck against his mouth and quickly reached his hands out to grasp Naruto's hips to steady him.

Naruto whimpered as quietly as he could as his body tightened. His hips continued to try to buck against Sasuke of their own accord. Naruto's breathing became more harried as he felt his body careening toward the impending orgasm.

"Sasuke," he whispered. Sasuke bobbed his head faster up and down Naruto's length.

"Sasuke!" Naruto whispered more urgently. Sasuke tightened his hands on Naruto's hips in acknowledgement. Somewhere in the back of Naruto's lust-hazed mind he realized that that was probably all the response Sasuke could give him. A few more swift sucks and Naruto came, quickly bringing a hand to his mouth and biting down hard on two fingers in an effort to keep quiet as Sasuke swallowed frantically.

Finally his body uncoiled and his muscles fell limp. Sasuke firmly held his hips up against the sink when he felt Naruto start to lose his footing, slowly easing Naruto's now soft cock out of his mouth. Naruto was still catching his breath as Sasuke rose to his feet, keeping a steady grip on Naruto's sagging body.

Naruto felt Sasuke kiss him lightly on the forehead and closed his eyes tiredly. Sasuke's mouth remained close to his skin and he could feel his warm breath dusting over his hairline.

"Now," Sasuke began to speak quietly if somewhat hoarsely. "We're going to get one thing straight." Sasuke felt Naruto tense at his words and brushed what he hoped was another reassuring kiss against the soft skin in front of him. "You are not going to leave me because of your condition." He tipped Naruto's chin up with his finger and looked him in the eye. "Ever."

Naruto stared up at him ambiguously but seriously none the less. "It is not an excuse to run away from this. I'm not sure why you feel the need to force yourself into this self-sacrificing kind of role and why you think you need to be alone, and maybe I never will, and that's fine. But you need to know that I won't _ever_ let you leave me for such a ridiculous reason." Naruto let his head drop forward against Sasuke's shoulder, the deep rumbling of Sasuke's voice soothing him. Sasuke rested his cheek against Naruto's hair. "You can't leave me, Naruto," he said quietly, his voice wavering very slightly. "Because I'm not sure what I would do without you."

Naruto nodded against his shoulder, the blonde hair tickling Sasuke's chin. Sasuke smiled, finally, after three long days. Naruto lifted his head and looked up at him, then grinned.

"You should smile more."

Sasuke wanted to mention how difficult it was to smile when certain people were always trying to die or break up with him but wisely bit his tongue and instead settled on leaning in for a kiss, which Naruto heartily returned.

"I missed you," admitted Naruto when they broke apart.

"I tend to have that effect," Sasuke returned dryly.

Naruto lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Did I miss anything important?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Oh! I found out Lee has a phobia."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Another one?"

"What do you mean, another one? There's more than one?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"Well, we already knew he couldn't take any meds," Naruto replied. Sasuke's eyebrows shot up.

"_We_ knew? _I_ never knew that!"

"Oh."

Sasuke huffed childishly. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I thought you knew!" exclaimed Naruto. "Didn't you ever wonder why he never took any pills when we did?"

"...no," mumbled Sasuke, irritated by being kept out of the know much less being kept out because of his own lack of observation. Naruto laughed at his frown, which only deepened it. After a few seconds of intense scowling action, Sasuke sighed.

"Can we get out of here?"

Naruto nodded. Sasuke helped pull his pants back up before backing away, letting go of Naruto's hips. He was turning around the grab Naruto's crutches from against the wall when a startled "ah!" swung him back around to find Naruto holding himself up against the sink with his hands.

"I guess I'm not ready yet," he said, smiling sheepishly.

Sasuke smirked as he hooked his hands underneath Naruto's arms once more. "I'm that good?"

It was Naruto's turn to scowl.

"So, then, what? Should I carry you?"

Naruto let out an offended gasp. "Hell no! What am I, your _bride?_" Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but Naruto cut him off. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I weigh more than you."

Sasuke wrinkled one brow. "How do you figure that?"

"Just because I'm a couple of inches shorter than you doesn't mean I can't have any muscle. Wouldn't take much to outweigh you. You're so scrawny."

"Hn."

"...just let me sit down for a few minutes," sighed Naruto. Sasuke nodded and helped him over to the toilet. Sitting on top of the lid, Naruto stretched out his legs in front of him and breathed deeply.

A awkward few minutes passed with Naruto staring quizzically at Sasuke while Sasuke glared at thin air.

"Are you still mad about the scrawny thing?"

Sasuke fixed his glare on Naruto. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Fine. You're not scrawny. You're just lean muscled."

"Hn," mumbled Sasuke ominously, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts. Naruto watched as Sasuke twitched his fingers, and suddenly his attention was focused on...

"You know," he said abruptly in what he hoped was an even voice, "I know one part of you that is not scrawny, nor lean muscled."

That was all the warning Sasuke got before he found himself being yanked forward by the waist until he was standing with one leg on either side of the toilet bowl, straddling Naruto's legs as Naruto feverishly worked on removing his shorts.

"Naruto, stop--"

"Damn buttons!"

"Stop! You don't have to--"

Naruto did stop then. "Why shouldn't I?" he asked curiously.

Sasuke looked at him questioningly. "I thought you wouldn't want to."

"Why? Because it's in here, or because of what would be in my mouth?"

"...both?"

Naruto took a deep breath before continuing to undo the buttons of Sasuke's shorts, more slowly this time. "Well, the bathroom would not be my first choice, but seeing as I am immobile, I'm going to have to be flexible. And as for the other thing," he smiled devilishly at Sasuke, "I figure we've exchanged enough bodily fluids by now that a little more won't hurt anything." And with that he yanked Sasuke's shorts down as far as he could manage.

"Really?"

"Stop talking." Naruto wrapped a hand around Sasuke's newly awakened cock and leaned forward, tongue out and ready.

"...Are you sure?"

Naruto stopped and looked up at Sasuke. "Sasuke. You have to feel this."

Sasuke watched in amazement as his germaphobic boyfriend eagerly wrapped his tongue around his cock.

"H-holy Jesus."

"Mmhmm," came the muffled agreement.

* * *

"Come on in."

Shikamaru stepped into Shizune's office, shutting the door behind him. "You wanted to see me?"

She smiled and motioned to the chair in front of her desk. He sat, slouching as he did. He hated this room.

She took a breath and began. "How have things been for you?"

Shikamaru let out a small sigh. "Fine."

She gave a knowing smile, too used to his cutting demeanor to be discouraged. "You seem to have adjusted well to Lee. I'm glad to see that."

"Neji's not coming back. There's no point in holding a grudge."

"I'm glad you see it that way, and that you two can be friends."

Shikamaru snorted at this. She took a moment to look at him, scrutinizing him with her eyes before she scooted back her chair and opened a drawer in her desk. She rummaged around for a few seconds before she pulled out an envelope, setting it on the desk. She looked up at Shikamaru.

"I got this letter a few weeks back. I've just been debating with myself over when the best time to tell you was. I think..." she paused to appraise him again. "I think you're ready."

Shikamaru shifted in his seat. She had received a letter about him? His eyebrows furrowed. This probably wasn't going to be very good...

She toyed with the envelope, seeming to be nervous before she finally opened it and handed it over the desk to him.

Shikamaru read:

"Dr. Shizune Hikari

We have written to you to inform you that every year we have a day set apart for our juveniles. It's a visiting day and it's open to everyone. Every occupant of our detention facility is allowed one visitor on this day. You had mentioned that your patient, Hyuuga Neji, had a close friend back at St. Olaf. The purpose of this letter is to inform you that there is a chance for Hyuuga to meet with any friends he has. This day can be on any date of this month, and it must be scheduled ahead of time. The visit will last one hour. Please get back to us when you have reached your decision.

Richmond Juvenile Detention Director

Joseph Harding"

Shikamaru almost dropped the letter. He lifted his head and locked his eyes with hers, blinking a few times. He looked back at the letter, reading it again.

"Is this...is this for real?"

His voice was incredulous, like he couldn't believe it was true.

"Yes, Shikamaru, it's for real. The choice is up to you and whether you want to see him or not. I only warn you that seeing him might only make your separation harder. That's why I waited as long as I did...I didn't want it to hurt you."

He didn't even hesitate. "I'll see him."

_Of course I'll see him._

* * *

"NARUTO!!!

Naruto sighed when he heard Kiba's frantic scream and slowly started to wrench himself from Sasuke's arms. Sasuke tightened his grip.

"Sasuke," whined Naruto. "Come on, you know I have to check on him."

"Nothing's wrong. He screams about everything," grumbled Sasuke even as he reluctantly released Naruto. Naruto hobbled to the door, then looked back at Sasuke.

"Not _everything_."

"Yes he does."

"Nuh-uh! He didn't scream earlier, when he saw us kissing," Naruto pointed out objectively.

Sasuke snorted. "I consider pointing and laughing maniacally to be in the same category as screaming."

Naruto just stuck out his tongue and crutched himself out of the room.

"Yeah, _okay_," Sasuke muttered. "Way to be mature." Some days he wondered who really was babysitting who. If Naruto was babysitting Kiba, and Sasuke was babysitting Naruto, wouldn't that mean that he was babysitting Kiba too?

Sasuke leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, lazily pondering. All such musings came to a screeching halt, however, when Naruto's wary voice drifted into the room.

"Sasuke?"

"What?" asked Sasuke, frowning slightly. There was an uncomfortable pause that lasted long enough to make Sasuke open his eyes worriedly.

"Can you come in here?" came the shaky response.

Sasuke quickly got to his feet and strode from the room, possible scenarios involving an unsupervised Kiba flying through his mind. Expecting the worst, he rounded the corner to Kiba's room.

Naruto and Kiba both stood two feet from the doorway with their backs to Sasuke. Sasuke looked at Kiba, puzzled. The boy was not covered in anything sticky, nor was he suspended upside down from the bed with his foot tangled in the bedding (yes, that had really happened, and no, Sasuke did _not _want to think about it). Kiba looked perfectly normal, at least from the back. Sasuke walked in quietly and brushed his hand against Naruto's arm. Naruto gasped loudly and swatted furiously at Sasuke's hand, surprising both Sasuke and Kiba enough that Sasuke visibly jumped and Kiba yelped.

"S-sorry Sasuke," said Naruto sheepishly, rubbing his arm where he had accidentally hit himself. Sasuke looked at Kiba again. Nope. No glue. No glitter. No pieces of string tied in hopeless knots around his ears. Kiba was staring at the corner of the room across from them, eyes wide in fear. Sasuke followed Kiba's gaze, searching for whatever the cause of his panic was until his eyes rested on a very, very large insect. A locust.

"Can you get it?" Naruto's wobbly voice broke the silence. Sasuke kept staring at the insect.

"Get it? You mean _kill_ it?"

Naruto turned big blue eyes on Sasuke. "Please?"

Who was Sasuke to say no? His chest puffed out and his voice lowered unconsciously.

"Of course I can."

With that Sasuke sauntered over to the opposite of the side of the room and stared daringly at the locust. All pretense of bravado evaporated quickly, however, when the insect flicked its wings and started to move slowly up the wall. Sasuke found his body jumping backwards of its own accord and a startled gasp tearing from his lips. Kiba squealed and sprinted out of the room.

"Sasuke?" Naruto questioned.

"I got it. Don't worry," reassured a slightly less confident Sasuke. He walked back up to the locust, which was still lazily scaling the wall. He stared at it, wondering the best way to kill the thing. Could it bite? The thought of hitting it but not hard enough to kill it, and then it coming back at him, thoroughly pissed off, scared him more than he wanted to admit. Maybe he could trap it under a cup and wait for it to die..._no!_ thought Sasuke, shaking his head forcefully. _Must not be a girl..._

Maybe he could stab it with a crayon...

"KILL IT SASUKE!" shrieked Kiba, who had peeked his head around the doorway. Sasuke turned and glared at him.

Suddenly Lee tore around the corner and into the room. "No! Don't kill it!" he exclaimed, bounding up to Sasuke's side. He peered at the locust in utter fascination.

"Sasuke, you _mustn't_ kill this magnificent creature!" said Lee, turning to look Sasuke in the eyes.

"Why not?" asked Sasuke, almost scared to hear the answer.

"Because! It is such a _shining_ example of the vibrance of life! He is flourishing still, even in an unnatural environment!"

"_He?_" Sasuke interrupted. "It's a _he_ now? Have you _named_ it yet?"

Lee looked thoughtful. "Well, no...but I suppose I could..." Sasuke groaned.

Shikamaru had entered the room upon hearing Kiba's shrieking. He walked slowly up to Lee and Sasuke, then observed the large insect between the frames of their bodies.

"Now, what could I name it?" Lee pondered, tapping his chin idly.

Shikamaru slipped off one of his sandals.

"Something _strong_, you know? Something to properly show how resourceful he's been..." Lee continued. Sasuke stared at him incredulously. How was the locust's name now the issue causing the most concern?

Suddenly Shika stepped between the two boys quickly and slammed the bottom of this sandal against the wall. Kiba shrieked. Sasuke watched in stunned silence as Shika lifted the sandal and the locust fell lifeless to the floor.

"NOOOOOO!" cried Lee. Shikamaru smirked at Sasuke, then slipped his sandal back on his foot and started to walk out of the room. Sasuke glared after him.

"I would have done it!"

"Right..." Shika replied.

"I WOULD have! You just interrupted me!"

Shikamaru waved his hand lazily as he left the room. Sasuke continued to glare after him, angry about being shown up. He stormed past Lee, who was now sitting on the floor, cradling the dead locust in his hands and whimpering. Naruto laughed softly. Sasuke turned his deadly glare on him.

"_Don't_ even start, Uzumaki..."

Naruto stifled the rest of his laughter as Sasuke continued out of the room. Kiba darted out of his way, then entered the room slowly. He walked over to the crying boy and poked insensitively at the insect.

"Stop!" choked out Lee. Kiba withdrew his finger hastily.

"Sorry Lee," he whispered. He watched the locust for a few moments, as though to confirm that it was truly dead. "What was his name?"

"I don't _know!_" bawled Lee. "Shikamaru MURDERED him before I could name him properly!"

Naruto hustled to Lee's side. "Shh, Lee, it's okay," he said in a comforting voice, rubbing the despondent boy on the shoulder. Lee seemed to calm at the touch. His sobs slowly dissolved into choked sniffles.

Kiba put his arm around Lee, then looked up at Naruto. "Can we have a funeral?" he asked somberly.

Naruto nodded. "Of course we can." Lee apparently took comfort in this. He stood shakily and walked out of the room, with a solemn Kiba and a slightly perplexed Naruto in tow. Naruto had no idea where the boy intended on laying the deceased to rest. He was about to ask, but then Lee turned into the bathroom and kneeled before the toilet bowl.

Naruto smiled, even as Lee slowly lowered the locust into the water and Kiba pushed down the flushing lever. He knew he should at least pretend to be sad, but he couldn't help being touched by the boys' act of memoriam.

* * *

Shikamaru looked conflicted. It wasn't a huge surprise to see a self-satisfied smirk on the boy's face, but it was definitely new to see the look of nervousness that occasionally surfaced. Ever since his super secret meeting with Shizune earlier, he had this odd look on his face.

Sasuke watched from his spot on the couch as Shikamaru half-heartedly worked on a crossword puzzle from a newspaper Ten Ten had supplied. Shikamaru had been staring at the page for over twenty minutes. The crosswords usually took him three minutes at most. He kept biting the eraser of his pencil and blinking rapidly as if trying to force himself to focus. When he was spacing out, he'd get suddenly flustered and then give the paper a hard stare.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the door swung open. He leapt to his feet and spun to face Ten Ten, who looked slightly frightened by his enthusiasm.

"…you're ready, I see?"

He nodded, physically forcing himself to calm down.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Sasuke called out, causing Shikamaru to jump again. "Where are you going?"

"Umm…" he stammered. "I'mgoingtovisitNeji."

And with that, he quickly left, leaving Sasuke in a shocked silence. Sasuke ran it over in his head a few times, trying to translate.

_I'm…going to…visit…_

"Oh my god!"

Naruto appeared in his doorway. "What?"

"Shikamaru…he's going to visit Neji!"

"Really?" Naruto asked in shock, making his way out of his room on his crutches. "For how long?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said, his eyes still lingering on the door that Shikamaru had just disappeared through. "But that would explain his weird mood today."

"Yeah," Naruto muttered sympathetically. "I bet he's nervous."

* * *

_Why am I so nervous?_

Shikamaru bit the inside of his cheek harshly. He had been sitting in the waiting room for more than twenty minutes, and his apprehension over seeing Neji was beginning to get to him. His foot tapped incessantly on the floor.

Neji was right. The place was different. Armed guards patrolled the halls, each looking like a hungry doberman, ready to strike. And just as everything in St. Olaf was white and soft, everything here was a hard, unforgiving concrete. The atmosphere of the place was absolutely chilling.

Everything was sharp and stark, and yet Shikamaru watched everything with a sort of hidden fascination. This was his first time ever leaving the hospital in over four years. It was odd to be out in civilized life.

It was pathetic that a juvenile detention facility was considered civilized in his mind.

A guard walked past him, leading away a boy in handcuffs. God, how long could this take? His foot began to tap faster.

After what seemed like hours, Shizune finally appeared. She motioned for him to follow her as she disappeared through a doorway. The door buzzed loudly as it closed behind him. They followed a man in gray uniform down a series of halls and stairways until finally they reached what appeared to be a visiting area. The guard turned to talk to Shizune.

"Where do you want the visitation to take place?"

She nodded to one of the closed off rooms to their right. "One of those rooms would be fine."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, miss. Those rooms have no cameras, and we can't leave them unsupervised, for obvious reasons."

She looked displeased at this. "I am requesting a room for the privacy of the boys. Please understand."

"I understand that, miss, but it's beyond my control. They cannot be without supervision."

Shikamaru bit his cheek again, glancing from Shizune to the guard.

"The rooms have no cameras..." The guard nodded. "But do they have an observation room? Behind a two way mirror or something of that sort?"

"Two of them do, ma'am, yes."

"Would it be within your power to let me watch in the observation room while you wait outside?"

He frowned, folding his arms. "If they're just going to talk, I don't see why I can't be present."

But Shizune was determined and she led Shikamaru to the door of one of the rooms. "I'll call you if anything goes wrong. It is very vital for this boy's mental wellbeing that he and Hyuuga have their privacy."

The man looked unconvinced, but he finally nodded. Shikamaru went into the room and leaned awkwardly against the wall, not quite sure what to do with himself. The guard left the room, giving one last wary glance to Shikamaru.

Shizune leaned towards Shikamaru and whispered into his ear, "You will have your privacy. You have my word. Just...don't be too loud."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, but Shizune had already turned away to page through the notebook in her hands.

The guard returned a few minutes later with Neji in tow. As soon as they entered the room, Shikamaru and Neji's eyes locked.

"Okay, here's the deal." The guard began to prattle off to Neji about the rules of the visiting session, but neither boy was listening. Their faces remained passive as they assessed each other.

Neji had gotten thinner, Shikamaru noticed with a grimace. His face looked more tired than it had before, and his long black hair had lost much of its shine. In his mind, Shikamaru was screaming at the man to get the hell out so he could talk freely to the boy.

He seemed to have finished his speech as he took his hands off of Neji's shoulders and escorted Shizune out of the room. They heard the guard through the wall that held a mirror, explaining how the controls in the observation room worked. They heard the door shut again, and then silence.

Inside the room, Shizune pulled up a chair and sat down, her back facing the window as she took out a book and began to read. She was obviously not intending on watching them.

Shikamaru stayed rooted to his spot, and he glared at the window, trying to see if Shizune was indeed watching or not. A low utterance of his name made him turn just in time to see Neji as he was pulled into a fierce hug. Shikamaru let out a shaky sigh as he felt a hand on the back on his head and a nose in his hair.

"Shika," he felt Neji breathe.

A low, shaky sigh of relief escaped from between his lips. "Hey there, Neji."

Neji pulled back, taking the hair tie out of Shikamaru's hair and running his fingers through it gently. Their noses bumped against each other.

"Shika," he breathed as he kissed him gently. "Shikamaru." Another kiss. "_Shika._"

Shikamaru closed his eyes as his hands worked themselves up to Neji's hair. Neji's hands cupped his face as their eyes met again.

"Hi."

The simplicity made Shikamaru laugh, which he quickly muted with the back of his hand.

"How are you?" Neji asked quietly, their faces still mere inches apart.

Another chuckle. "I should be the one asking you that." His heart was hammering in his chest, and the incredible warmth that was spreading throughout his body was so familiar...so comforting.

"I missed you. More than you can know." Neji began kissing Shikamaru down his jaw line. Shika made a happy noise and tilted his head slightly to allow Neji more access. "How are things back at the wonderful St. Olaf?"

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Neji's waist and closed his eyes as Neji's lips made their way to his neck. "Different..." Neji's hand held his face as the thumb stroked Shikamaru's cheek. "Someone came after you--he's bipolar."

"You prefer him to me?"

Shikamaru pushed Neji playfully. "Shut up. Oh!" Shikamaru gasped as Neji bit down on collar bone.

"Tell me more," Neji purred, his tongue lapping over the reddening mark on Shika's neck.

"Ahh," Shikamaru fought to keep his thoughts coherent as Neji pushed back the collar of his shirt. "Naruto and that kid, Sasuke, they're—ah, Neji, stop," Shikamaru pleaded as Neji pushed his back against the wall.

"Keep going," Neji demanded, his nose nuzzling in Shika's hair.

"They're together now—Naruto and Sasuke. It's cute—(pant pant)—they remind me of us..."

"Hmm," Neji kissed him deeply. "Didn't see that one coming."

Neji's knee moved between Shikamaru's legs and his arms were placed on either side of Shika's head.

"Neji, we can't...Shizune is--"

"No, she's not." Neji shushed him by moving his knee higher between his legs.

Shikamaru bit his lip to quiet his moan. "Neji..."

Neji's hands played with the hem of Shikamaru's shirt as their lips met again. "Neji, we need to stop. Shizune will see us--"

Neji growled, biting Shikamaru's lower lip. "We've been apart for weeks; you can't seriously ask me to wait."

As Neji's hands began to work up his shirt, Shikamaru's resolve seemed to begin to waver. Their pace began to quicken, and soon Shikamaru found his shirt being pulled over his head. Neji let his hands ghost over Shikamaru's chest, taking one of his dusky nipples between his thumb and forefinger and tweaking it harshly, earning him a sharp gasp from Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's back was arched off the wall as his other nipple was taken into Neji's mouth. Shikamaru suddenly reached down and pulled Neji's hips against his harshly.

"Hahh," Neji moaned and he rolled their hips together again, enjoying the gasps that escaped Shikamaru.

They kissed again, their tongues clashing together, and Neji's hands began to feverishly unbutton Shikamaru's pants. He managed to get them down around his knees in record time, while Shika's hands were flying at his belt.

After a few awkward moments of stepping out of their boxers they were together again—kissing fiercely as their hands skimmed and groped over each others bodies.

"Please," Neji begged breathily. "Please, Shika, let me take you..."

Shikamaru nodded quickly, pulling him in for a quick kiss. His face was flushed and his breathing was uneven. He was ready. Neji growled again, a rumbling, predatory sound, as he grabbed Shikamaru by his shoulders and spun him around. Shikamaru heard Neji's frantic breathing behind him and felt Neji's body align with his. He braced himself against the wall, trying to will himself to relax for—

Neji entered him swiftly, not taking the time to properly stretch Shikamaru, but he didn't mind. It hurt, as Neji's thrusts began to pick up in speed and power, but the ache wasn't enough to ask for Neji to stop. This intense connection between them when they made love surprised Shikamaru to this day.

And that feeling flooded through him as he felt Neji lean over his back and whisper into his ear, "I love you, Shika."

He could feel Neji ripping him apart with his lust. It had been far too long and his body wasn't prepared. He bit his lip harshly, to keep from crying out. He knew all it would take was a word, and Neji would stop. But he didn't want to stop. Neji halted in his movements to ask in a tight voice,

"Shikamaru, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just…move," he ground out, forcing himself down further on Neji's cock for emphasis.

Neji made a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat, but he picked up his pace again, this time aiming for that one spot…

A sharp gasp from Shikamaru confirmed that he had found his prostate. Neji focused on hitting that same spot as he entered Shikamaru again and again.

"Neji, ahhh god...Let me—let me turn around," he breathed.

Neji nodded, and pulled himself out. Shikamaru almost collapsed as he turned to face Neji, forcing Neji to hold him up by his shoulders. Shikamaru's back hit the wall and Neji's hands grasped at his ass as he lifted Shikamaru up, prompting the boy to wrap his legs around Neji's waist.

Their eyes met and Neji smiled slightly. The boy's face was flushed and his bangs stuck to his forehead as his dark eyes blinked slowly. It was the most arousing thing he'd ever seen.

He entered Shikamaru with such force that Shikamaru's voice broke into a low moan. They were quickly reaching their previous, feverish pace as Neji continually thrust himself deeply into Shika.

Neji could feel himself nearing his end and he reached around to grasp Shikamaru's neglected member, jerking it in time with their rhythm. Shikamaru began to gasp, the dual sensation of being penetrated and jacked off was almost too much or him.

It didn't take long. Shikamaru came first—ribbons of his cum shooting over Neji's hand—and Neji soon followed, releasing with a throaty, "Shika!"

They stood for a few moments unmoving, until Neji pulled out and slid to the ground, pulling Shikamaru into his lap. They sat together there, Neji with his arms wrapped tightly around Shikamaru's shoulders.

"That was nice."

The soft timbre of Neji's voice after sex always made Shikamaru's heart melt. He laughed softly. "Yes, yes it was. A bit overdue, too, I think."

Shikamaru moved so he straddled Neji's legs and so they faced each other. His hands went to Neji's shoulders and he placed a light kiss on Neji's forehead.

"You love me?" he asked, playing with a loose strand of Neji's hair.

Neji paused, as if to think about it before he answered, "Well, I don't know. Is this love?"

Shikamaru bit his lip, posed with the sudden question. What _was_ their relationship? It was something obviously beyond the physical (although the fact that Neji was good in bed was a damn good bonus), but was it _love_?

They had been together almost ten months, if he counted the last few weeks of absence. They had been inseparable when they were both at St. Olaf. They had fought only once or twice and never for very long. The separation had torn Shikamaru apart. He had felt like a gaping whole had been ripped in his chest that had only been completely filled again today, upon seeing Neji again.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how lucky he was to have Neji in his life.

He broke from his reverie with a slight shake of his head. Neji was watching him intently, raising his eyebrows when Shikamaru met his eyes again.

"How long?"

Neji frowned. "Hmm?" He was slightly bothered by the fact that Shika was avoiding the subject.

"How long, till I see you again?"

Shikamaru's face was a serious frown. Neji sighed.

"I don't know, but--"

A voice buzzed into the room over the intercom. "Boys?" It was Shizune.

Shikamaru's eyes widened and his hands shot to cover himself. Neji smiled, savoring the rare occurrence of color in Shikamaru's cheeks. "Yes, Shizune?"

"Are you ready? Your time is almost up."

"Ahh, hold on!" Shikamaru shouted, jumping to his feet and jamming his feet through the leg holes of his pants.

Neji laughed as he stood and slowly pulled on his uniform. "Just a minute, Shizune," he called out.

"Okay. The guard will be in a moment, be ready."

Shikamaru pulled on his shirt and pulled his hair up. He turned to see Neji already dressed in his one-piece prison suit. A knock on the door startled them both. Shizune's head popped through the door, checking to see if the boys were decent before opening the door the full way and walking in, followed closely by the guard.

"Time's up boys…" Shizune said, her face reluctant.

Neji turned to Shikamaru, regarding him with slightly furrowed brows. He opened his arms slightly, and Shikamaru found himself being pulled into a deep embrace. Neji gently nuzzled his hair, breathing softly.

"I'll see you," Neji said gently, his arms wrapping tightly around Shikamaru's smaller frame.

No…this was all too fast…it couldn't be over. Shikamaru felt tears prick at his eyes. "No…" he whimpered softly.

Neji shushed him. "It'll be fine, you'll see."

Shikamaru pulled back slightly, his forehead resting on Neji's. "I-I love you."

The corners of Neji's mouth twitched up. "I know."

Shikamaru's lips gently descended onto Neji's as he tried to force the tears back. A cough from the guard broke their tender moment. A hand on Neji's shoulder forced him back and Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"C'mon now, Shika," Neji reprimanded softly. "Take care of everyone back home."

Shikamaru nodded, biting his lip fiercely in an attempt to control his raging emotions.

"Bye Shika."

"Bye Neji…" Shikamaru said softly.

The guard led Neji out of the room by his shoulder, letting the door slam behind them. Shizune moved to Shikamaru's side.

"Are you alright, Shikamaru?"

He nodded, smiling as tears finally spilled down his cheeks. "I'm fine."

All he could think of on the ride back to St. Olaf was the way his heart was fluttering in his chest and how he felt light headed. He could get used to this feeling, being in love.

**Hey there! It's mirandler43. KandKL is already out of town for Thanksgiving, so I'm posting for her. I hope you all liked this chapter! We're both very sorry about the delay, but hopefully the SasukexNaruto and ShikaxNeji loving made up for it!**

**A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed! We've got five more chapters to go, and we hope you hang in there with us until the end. Also, be sure to drop a line and let KandKL know how she did with the ShikaxNeji part! She's worked really hard on that pairing. **

**Thanks guys! Happy Thanksgiving!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: This story is being co-authored by KandKL of We do not own Naruto, nor do we intend to profit financially from this story.**

**AN: Yes, I know it's been a long time. But before you start throwing all types of foods and sharp, pointy objects, let me tell you that this is the longest chapter this story has seen to date by about 3000 words. Hopefully that will be enough to appease you all...**

**...that and the lemon we've spent nine long chapters building up to... **

**Onwards**

* * *

The zebra wouldn't blink.

He had been staring at it for, like, two minutes, but the zebra wouldn't blink. His eyes twitched and watered, but he refused to back down.

Stare. Glare.

_Come on! Blink!_

"Kiba."

_Not now!_

"Kiba," the voice called again.

_Buuuuuusy…._

It was taking an incredible amount of concentration to stay focused on one thing at one time and he had to keep checking himself to keep his eyes trained on the striped animal before him.

The attending nurse watched in almost a concerned matter at the boy who was having a staring contest with the life-size zebra that was part of the jungle wallpaper that decorated the room. She looked back at the dark window on the far wall, giving it an apologetic smile before turning back to the boy.

"Kiba, your time is up. You need to go back to your room." She tapped his shoulder this time, causing his head to snap up.

He let out an irritated squeal, displaying his displeasure at her forcing him to blink and therefore, lose the contest. "You _ruined _it!"

"Kiba, that's enough," a voice from the doorway reprimanded. It was Ten Ten. "Let's go." She motioned for him to leave with her and he grabbed her hand as they walked out of the room, leaving a thoroughly confused nurse in their wake.

"You are too much sometimes…" Ten Ten muttered under her breath with a shake of her head.

"Too much of what?"

"Never mind, Kiba. Never mind."

* * *

Shikamaru wondered when the weather had begun to affect Lee's mood. The rain pattered gently against the windows and Lee sat in a curled up ball on the couch, humming a melancholy tune. Shikamaru sighed and turned back to the battered book in his lap that Shizune had passed on to him. "German 4 Dummies" was admittedly not on the top of his Must Read list, but it was better than boredom.

_I played basketball yesterday. Ich habe Basketball gestern gespielt. Basketball is my favorite sport. Basketball ist mein Leiblingssport. _

German was turning out to be surprisingly easy. He flipped a few pages in the book and found a chart.

_Dative prepositions...aus, auβer, bei, mit..._he stopped with a frown. Lee's alternating sniffling and wails were ruining his concentration.

"Lee..."

"Yeah?" came the whimpering reply.

Shikamaru let out another sigh. "Would...would you like to learn some German with me?" He saw Lee's form perk up.

"German?"

"Yes, German. Come over here, I'll teach you."

Lee's head appeared over the top of the couch. "Really?"

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"...Okay!"

Shikamaru steeled himself as Lee hurdled the couch and bounded to his side, where he promptly dropped into a cross-legged sit. He stared at Shikamaru with intent, bright eyes.

"I am Shikamaru," Shikamaru said, placing his hand on his chest, motioning for Lee to copy him.

"I am Lee..." he repeated. "That's not German."

Shikamaru forced a smile. "Ich heiβe Shikamaru."

Lee's face lit up. "Ish heiβe Lee!"

"No, no...Ich—like you have popcorn stuck in your throat."

"ICCCCCH!"

"...Better," Shikamaru said, grinning a little in spite of himself.

"Ich heiβe Lee."

"Very good, Lee."

Lee's cry of victory and vivacious fist pump would have scared any other person into hysterics. Shikamaru settled for a slight eye roll before continuing.

"Now, the word for 'you' is--"

"OWW!" Naruto's voice howled, followed by a loud _SMACK!_

"HEY!"

Their heads snapped up to look at the room from where the scream had come. Naruto came hobbling lop-sidedly out of the room as fast as he could with one crutch, the dressings around his leg trailing on the floor behind him. Sasuke stalked out of the room after him, holding up a bottle.

"Naruto, there's no alcohol in this, it shouldn't hurt," he explained with a glare, rubbing a reddening spot on his cheek.

"Well, it DOES, bastard! You're not coming near me with that stuff!" Naruto shouted, his eyes wide and his free arm pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"Look, Naruto," Sasuke explained through gritted teeth, "Ten Ten gave me this so that she wouldn't have to come in and administer it twice a day. She's going to be _pissed_ if she has to come in and hold you down for me."

Naruto crossed his arms, but almost fell as his balance on the crutch was compromised. He righted himself and stared at Sasuke. "I refuse."

Sasuke watched him for a few seconds before his gaze softened. He slowly approached Naruto, holding his arms in a non-threatening posture when Naruto took an apprehensive step back. When he was toe to toe with Naruto he looked down and smiled softly.

"You have really blue eyes," he said quietly.

"No shit..." Naruto murmured, suddenly entranced by Sasuke's proximity.

Sasuke leaned down and gently brushed his lips against Naruto's as Naruto's eyes drifted shut. Sasuke then leaned forward a bit more and began to stealthily tip the bottle down, releasing a steady stream of anti-bacterial onto Naruto's open wound.

"OOOOOWWW! You BASTARD!" Naruto screamed, hopping backwards so fast that he fell onto his butt with a loud grunt.

"Pin him!" Sasuke shouted, grabbing one of Naruto's flailing legs. Lee sprung into action, grabbing Naruto's arms.

"It's for your own good, Naruto!" Lee shouted.

"Okay, hold him," Sasuke instructed as he tipped the bottle up again. Nothing came out and he shook the bottle.

"You used the whole damn bottle, ya fucker!" Naruto cursed, struggling to get out of their grip.

"Oh..." Sasuke said, reading the label. "Whoops."

"Whoops, my fucking ass..." Naruto growled as he struggled to his feet and then angrily crutched off to his room.

"Narutoooo...I'm sorry..." Sasuke said, getting up and following him, the door slamming behind him.

Lee blinked. Shikamaru snorted and turned a page in his book. Lee sat for a few moments before scooting himself back over to Shikamaru's side. Shikamaru turned another page.

"What's that word?" Lee asked, pointing to the page.

"Reiseauβkunft. It means information counter...or something."

"Reiseauβkunft," Lee tried.

"Yeah," Shikamaru muttered distractedly as he continued to read.

"Reiseauβkunft..." Lee whispered.

The door leading to the hall clicked open and life was no longer peaceful. Kiba sprinted into the room, his arms held out like an airplane as he flew around the room, his lips buzzing to create the sound of a motor.

He was hyper.

_Oh _God_, he's hyper..._Shikamaru grimaced.

Kiba saw Lee and shouted a jovial "Lee!"

"REISEAUβKUNFT!" Lee responded with equal gusto.

This stopped Kiba in his tracks. "Huh?"

"It's German! Shikamaru was teaching me..." his voice trailed off when he saw that Shikamaru had retreated to his room, leaving the book behind on the floor. "Huh...Wanna learn some?"

"Yeah!" Kiba agreed, finding a spot next to Lee. Lee opened the book and began to page through.

"Where were you, anyway?" he asked.

"Playing."

"Playing? Can I come next time?" Lee asked excitedly.

"Nope. I get to go to my own room and get my own toys...It's really fun! But only for me," he explained.

"Aww, bummer..."

Kiba patted his shoulder comfortingly and they sat in silence for a few moments. "What's that word?" Kiba asked.

"Hmm..." Lee pondered. "Scheiβe..."

"What's it mean?"

"Okay, that's enough!" Shikamaru appeared suddenly and grabbed the book from Lee's fingers. He then turned and shuffled back to his room.

Kiba leaned over to Lee. "What's it mean?"

Lee whispered into Kiba's ears, and Kiba's eyes widened comically.

"Ooooh!"

* * *

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked up from his book, giving Sasuke a wary, tired glance. "What?"

Sasuke stood in his doorway, shifting his weight to his other foot. Sasuke was uneasy? This immediately peaked Shikamaru's interest.

"Uhh…okay. Okay, I have some questions."

"About…?" Shikamaru asked, trying to hide his smirk. He already knew about what. There was only one thing the Uchiha boy could want to know about from him…

Sasuke quickly looked behind him, then stepped into the room and shut the door. "I need to talk about sex."

_Bingo._

Shikamaru feigned boredom. "What about it?" he asked in a low drawl.

Sasuke's face was like an open book as he visibly forced himself to get past his embarrassment. Shikamaru was beginning to enjoy it.

"How do I do it?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but Sasuke's face remained firm, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "With a guy, you mean."

"Yes."

"You really need me to explain the mechanics to you?"

"No, well…I know how to _do _it, but not how to do it _well_," Sasuke said, fighting valiantly to keep his uneasiness under control.

Shikamaru sat fully upright, folding his legs under himself. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

Sasuke let out a sigh since the hard part was over before continuing, "Will it hurt Naruto?"

"He's a virgin?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke blinked. "I…would think so."

"Then yeah," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "It'll hurt quite a bit. But, there are things you can do to make it, you know, smoother."

"Okay, like what?" Shikamaru half expected him to take out a pen and paper for notes.

"Lots of lube, stretching…"

"…stretching?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh at the look of the confusion on Sasuke's face. "Use your fingers. Stretch him so it's not such a big shock when you ram your cock into him."

Sasuke's face colored darkly and he glared at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru smiled in mock sweetness before continuing. "Foreplay is really important, especially for the boy that's going to be topped. If he's not in the mood and he's resistant, it'll hurt him a lot. Just make sure to warm him up for a while before you go for the big homerun. He needs to be very relaxed."

Despite the fact that his face was the color of a plum, Sasuke was listening intently and he nodded, encouraging Shikamaru to continue.

"Obviously, there are certain courtesies you should follow. Like I said, you can't just force yourself into an unprepared, unwilling person. Wait until he's ready; even if that means you don't go all the way the first time."

Sasuke leaned in as Shikamaru's voice lowered slightly. "There are two things you need to do to make sure he gets off. Number one—and probably the more important—every guy has a prostate located in his ass. If you manage to find that spot in him, it'll make him scream."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"In a good way, Sasuke. It's one of the best feelings in the world. Try to find it initially when you're first stretching him, and then try to find it again when you're in him. And number two. Make sure you don't just leave him hanging while you're doing it. Make sure to play with his cock too. This'll help get his mind off the initial pain. Oh, and always use lots of lube."

"I don't have any lube…"

"You'll just have to find something, shouldn't be too hard."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Sasuke trying to remember everything Shikamaru has advised and Shikamaru smirking inwardly at Sasuke. Sasuke stood suddenly and met Shikamaru's gaze.

"Thank you, Shikamaru. This will help very much."

Shikamaru waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Have fun, and make sure to take care of him."

Sasuke nodded. "Of course."

"Off with you, then," Shikamaru said as he went back to his book.

Sasuke turned away and quickly walked out of the room. He had survived and also gotten some very important information.

Now he just needed to find some lube…

* * *

BOOM!

A looming thundercloud clapped as Lee simultaneously slammed his door shut behind him, eyes wider than any human eyes ought to be able to be stretched. Lee scurried down the length of the common room, past three doors to the very last one. Quickly he threw the door open and winced as it banged against the wall behind it.

Shikamaru shot upright in his bed and glared bleary-eyed at the looming shadow in his doorway.

_Too tall to be Kiba,_ his sleep-hazed mind deduced. _Too non-slouchy to be Sasuke. No crutches..._

A high-pitched yelp from the silhouette confirmed his conclusion as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky outside and illuminated the room brightly.

Shika slumped back down and closed his eyes. "No."

Another flash of lightning.

"Shika..."

Shikamaru hastily drew the pillow out from under his head and smashed it down over his face forcefully, effectively silencing any of Lee's whines. Lee sighed dramatically and left the room, closing the door behind him. He yelped again at another loud boom and looked back pathetically at the door.

"Meanie," he said, lower lip protruding. The only response he got was a muffled thump from the other side of the door. Of course, curiosity got the better of him. He opened the door a few inches and poked his head in. On the floor was a pillow. Lee opened the door the rest of the way and picked up the pillow.

"Do you want your pillow back?" he asked innocently.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

* * *

Sasuke snapped awake at Shikamaru's angry yell and looked out into the common room as much as he could through the slightly open doorway. Naruto, curled up at his side, stirred.

"What's going on?" he asked groggily. Sasuke shook his head and was about to respond when he heard a low questioning murmur coming from outside the room.

"BECAUSE I'M SLEEPING, LEE!" came the loud reply, accompanied by a soft thud.

"Shika's throwing things again," said Naruto. Both boys looked at the doorway when they heard a door shutting and footsteps moving closer to them.

Sasuke reacted first. "Quick! Act like you're asleep."

"Wouldn't it be more fun to scare him? Or yell at him?"

Sasuke heard the door to Naruto's room next door opening. "Snore! Quick, go!"

The door closed.

"But I wanna throw something!"

"SNORE!" hissed Sasuke as Lee's footsteps drew near.

The door creaked open. Lee peeked in and saw Sasuke laying on his side facing the door, eyes closed. He could only assume the large lump next to him under the blankets to be Naruto, since Naruto's room was empty.

A sudden snore from Sasuke was so startling that Lee practically ran out of the room. Sasuke waited, holding his breath and listening intently. Finally he heard Kiba's door open, and then shut quietly. Sasuke exhaled in relief.

Naruto threw the blanket off of his head. "I was just kidding, you know," he huffed indignantly as he ran a hand through his static-y hair. "You didn't have to try to suffocate me!"

"Shhh!" whispered Sasuke.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "He's not coming back. He's going to act all brave in front of Kiba and then go back to his--"

Naruto stopped short upon hearing a shriek through the thin wall.

"Which one was that?"

"Too shrill. Had to have been Kiba," replied Sasuke.

"I don't know," said Naruto. "Lee can get pretty shrill." A few more muffled sounds came from the room next door, and then, silence. Sasuke sighed in relief and settled back more fully against the bed, ready to go back to sleep. Naruto curled up beside him again, placing an arm around Sasuke's middle. Sasuke smiled and let his conscious mind drift...

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered an indeterminable amount of time later.

"Mhmm."

"Could you go check on them?"

Sasuke opened one eye warily. "Are you serious?"

"Please?"

"No!"

Naruto stared at the wall he and Kiba shared. "They've been awfully quiet for awhile now."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Just go check on them."

"You go check on them. You're the one who's worried," said Sasuke.

"But I can't walk!" whined Naruto. Sasuke glared mildly at him. Naruto looked back, widening his eyes slightly and looking up through his lashes.

Sasuke growled and sat up. Yanking the covers back, he got out of bed. "I'm not doing this because of those goddamn eyes," he muttered as he stalked towards the door. Naruto just smiled smugly in the dark.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke grunted in annoyance as he left the room and headed over to Kiba's door. The lack of noise from the two boys was actually a bit disturbing to him, and as he drew nearer to the bedroom and heard nothing but the rain outside his consternation began to grow. If the past held as any kind of record, no noise now usually would result in far too much noise for comfort within the next ten minutes.

Sasuke poked his head inside the doorway and paused for a moment, listening for any kind of noise to indicate life in the room but hearing nothing.

"Kiba?" he whispered, but got no response. He padded over to the bed and felt around gingerly, trying to find Kiba's body. A hand shot out from under the frame and grabbed his ankle. Sasuke let out a scream bearing a startling resemblance to that of an eight-year-old girl's.

Kiba and Lee both giggled loudly. Sasuke bent down and peered under the bed.

"What the hell was that for?" he hissed vehemently.

"For fun," replied Kiba, grinning impishly.

"Sasuke?" came Naruto's voice drifting through the wall.

"It was Kiba!" Sasuke quickly responded.

"No it wasn--"

Sasuke quickly slapped a hand over Kiba's wide-open mouth, muffling the rest of his words. But before he could deliver any kind of caustic scolding a loud clap of thunder interrupted him. Kiba and Lee instantaneously shrieked and grabbed each other in a tight hug. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Sasuke!" yelped Lee as another streak of lightning lit up the room.

"What?"

"We're scared!"

"Yeah, I noticed," replied Sasuke sarcastically. "What do you want me to do? You want me to stop the storm?"

"Yeah!" yelled Kiba.

Sasuke sighed and sat down fully on the floor. "Kiba, I can't stop the storm. I don't control the heavens," he said in a condescending tone.

"Who controls the heavens?"

"God, I suppose." This met a chorus of "ooh"s from the boys.

"Wait," said Kiba suddenly. "I thought God was nice." Sasuke grimaced internally, knowing this couldn't lead anywhere not complicated. "Why is he making so much noise? Doesn't he know it's rude to wake everyone up?"

"Yeah, it is," Sasuke said, looking pointedly at Lee, who ducked his head sheepishly. Sasuke sighed guiltily then. "No, it's okay, Lee. Kiba," he continued, "well, I guess that since God is the boss of the world, he gets to make the rules. And if he wants to make noise, he can."

"But what is he _doing?_"

Sasuke scratched his head while cursing himself for starting this whole God business. But then a memory flooded his awareness; his mother's arms around him as she held him from behind, the two of them sitting on the floor of his bedroom and watching the raging storm through his window.

"He's bowling," he said softly. A half-smile crossed his face as he heard his mother's voice echo those words to him comfortingly within the confines of his mind.

"What's bowling?" asked Kiba innocently, effectively ruining Sasuke's moment. Sasuke looked over at the boys and found them childishly laying on their stomachs with their elbows bent and their chins resting on the heels of their hands. A particularly loud boom of thunder sounded but neither flinched, too caught up in this foreign idea of "bowling" to pay any mind. Sasuke smirked, internally lauding himself for his mad babysitting skills.

"Bowling is when you take a very heavy ball, and you roll it down a wooden floor at a group of pins--"

"What are pins?" interrupted Lee.

"They're...like...big round sticks that stand up about this high," said Sasuke, gesturing with his hands the height of a bowling pin. Then he made a triangle with his fingers and held his hands up to show Kiba and Lee. "The pins are arranged at the end of the floor in this shape. There are ten pins--"

"Why ten?" asked Kiba, wrinkling his nose.

Sasuke sighed. "There just is."

"But _why?"_ Kiba continued. "Why not twenty?"

"Or one hundred?" Lee put in.

"Or a THOUSAND!" added Kiba loudly, causing both boys to laugh uproariously. Sasuke withdrew his still triangle-shaping fingers from the air and folded them in his lap. Closing his eyes, he sighed once again, doing his best to block out noisy plans of inventing a game that involved one thousand pins and throwing the ball at them to see how many could be broken with one throw.

Naruto's voice from the doorway broke his concentration. "What's going on?"

"They're scared of the storm," replied Sasuke.

"No, I know that," said Naruto as he maneuvered into the room. "I mean, what did you do? I've never heard them laugh so hard around you unless they're actually laughing _at_ you."

Sasuke glared. "I thought you couldn't walk." Naruto shrugged.

"Sasuke?" asked Lee. "Can we play the bowling tomorrow?"

"Not your way we can't," replied Sasuke quickly.

"Why not?" whined Kiba. "Our way's more fun!"

"Not really."

"Wait," said Naruto, interrupting the conversation. "What's their way?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "They want to change the game of bowling forever by replacing the ten pins with one thousand and then _throwing_ the ball at--"

"Wait, wait," interrupted Naruto again, looking confused. "What's bowling?"

"Why does no one know this game?!" asked Sasuke loudly of no one in particular.

"SHIKA!" yelled Lee suddenly. Sasuke and Naruto swung their heads toward the doorway to find Shikamaru leaning against the frame, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Is there a reason that NO ONE can be quiet in this stupid place?" he asked irately.

"No," Kiba said mischievously. Shikamaru quickly stood upright and began to make his way towards the bed.

"We better go," Sasuke whispered discretely to Naruto. He stood up from the floor and began hauling Naruto up on his feet.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

"Because he must be pissed if he looks like that," whispered Sasuke. He retrieved Naruto's crutches from the ground and handed them to Naruto. "Normally he wouldn't even waste energy on facial expressions."

Shikamaru stopped in front of the bed and bent down to look at the boys, who, still giggling, seemed to have no idea what kind of imminent danger they were in.

"I swear to GOD," Shikamaru began harshly, "if I don't get some god damn sleep anytime soon, there will be HELL to--"

Suddenly a hand reached out from under the bed and grasped Shikamaru's wrist. Seconds later, too quickly for Naruto or Sasuke to figure out exactly how, Shikamaru was underneath the bed, laying on his back between the two wildly laughing boys. Naruto quickly brought a hand up to his mouth to stifle his laughter as Shikamaru glared heatedly at him and Sasuke.

"Well," said Sasuke quickly, "I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Yeahmetoo," added Naruto as he and Sasuke began to rush away from the bed with barely contained laughter.

"No!" Shikamaru yelled, hastily struggling to get out from under the bed, but the boys had a surprisingly strong grip on his limbs. He watched desperately as the upside-down forms of Sasuke and Naruto made a beeline for the door.

"Sasuke!" Shikamaru called, mind scrambling for something that he could use to make him stay.

"No," came the reply from the doorway. Shikamaru watched Sasuke's back vanish from sight through the doorway. _Come on!_ he urged his brain.

And then he had it.

"I'll help you," he called out. A second passed, then two. By the third, Sasuke had reappeared in the doorway, a skeptical but hopeful look on his face.

"You'll help me?"

"Help with what?" asked Naruto as he reappeared behind Sasuke, looking thoroughly confused.

"You'll get me what I need?" Sasuke asked.

"Get you what you need for what?"

"I'll get you what you need," Shikamaru confirmed.

"Get him _what?_ What do you need, Sas—ooooh," Naruto stopped his whines short and looked at Sasuke demurely. "Is it a present? For me?"

Sasuke looked bewilderedly at Shikamaru, who snorted gracelessly. "In a manner of speaking," Shikamaru answered Naruto, who squealed in delight and missed Sasuke dropping his jaw in horrified disgust. "What?" whispered Shikamaru loudly under the cover of Naruto's squeals. "It is!"

Sasuke shook his head and decided to pretend that the innuendo had never happened, since that was much easier for his still-virgin mind to handle. "What are your terms?" he asked Shikamaru.

"You stay in here as long as I have to," replied Shikamaru. "Which I get the feeling will be all night," he added with a glare in Lee's direction.

"Deal," said Sasuke in a tone of finality. "Naruto, go get our blankets and pillows, and Shika's, too."

"But I can't walk!"

"Bullshit you can't," replied Sasuke, ignoring the two gasps that came from under the bed at Sasuke's choice in words. Naruto started to pout, but then perked up. "When do I get my present?" he asked excitedly. Sasuke looked bewilderedly at Shikamaru.

"Two days," Shikamaru answered.

"Yay!" exclaimed Naruto as he left the room. Sasuke wandered back over to the bed and sat down on the floor in front of it. "Thank you," he said quietly to Shikamaru with a slight blush.

"Oh, no, thank _you,_" came the dry response.

"Are you and Naruto staying here tonight, too?" Kiba asked Sasuke suddenly. Sasuke nodded.

"Hooray! We can have a sleepover at long last!" Lee proclaimed excitedly. Sasuke shuddered, remembering how excited Lee had been on his first day in the wing about having sleepovers.

"Do we have to stay under the bed?" Shikamaru whined. Lee nodded his head solemnly.

"Well, I'm sleeping out here with Naruto," Sasuke declared. Shikamaru made a disbelieving noise. Sasuke glared mildly at him. "Naruto can't be crawling under that bed because of his leg, and besides, your deal never said anything about me sleeping under any bed."

"Back!" Naruto called before Shikamaru could argue. He dropped his and Sasuke's pillows and blanket by Sasuke and handed Shikamaru his before grabbing Kiba's off of the bed.

"Lee, you're going to have to share with Kiba," Naruto informed him as he handed them the blanket and pillow.

"Yes," breathed Shikamaru as he quickly wriggled out from between the boys and laid down on the other side of Lee. He made himself as comfortable as he could as Kiba and Lee talked animatedly, thunderstorm all but forgotten. Sasuke lay down on his back and extended his left arm invitingly as Naruto scooted into the makeshift bed and snuggled up against him, curling his arm around Sasuke's torso. Shikamaru smiled softly at the sight, but then frowned.

What the hell was he going to get for Sasuke, and in two days no less?

* * *

Sunlight spilled in to the building through the open doorway as Kiba and Lee rushed through it and out into the courtyard with Sasuke following slowly. Kiba quickly grabbed a tennis ball off of the grass.

"Sasuke! Catch!"

"No."

Kiba threw it anyway. Sasuke glared at him, gaze unwavering even as the ball bounced off of his shoulder. Lee took one look at Sasuke's face and decided to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. Picking up the ball where it had fallen, he backed slowly away from Sasuke.

"Kiba, why don't we just play?" he said with one last wary look in Sasuke's direction as he led Kiba out of striking distance. Sasuke sighed heavily as he plopped down in his usual spot beneath the tree. He wasn't sure why he was so irritable today. Maybe it was because he had been forced to sleep on the floor the night before. Or maybe it was because he hadn't gotten his customary morning-display-of-affection because two certain boys had been watching him and Naruto not so discretely. Regardless, he was irritable, and the fact that Naruto's session with Shizune was taking longer than normal wasn't helping.

"Lee, where's Shika?" Sasuke called out, suddenly realizing he had no idea what was keeping the older boy.

"He said he had to talk to Ten Ten about something," answered Lee between hearty jumping jacks.

"Oh," said Sasuke. _Oh..._maybe Shikamaru was working on getting the answer to Sasuke's problem...

"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice came drifting outside. Sasuke looked up from the grass his fingers had been idly playing with and watched Naruto hobbling towards him, a bright grin splashing across the blonde's face.

"Guess what?" asked Naruto excitedly as he came to a stop in front of Sasuke.

"What?" said Sasuke warily. He cringed as Naruto struck a pose far too similar to one of Lee's.

"Shizune says that I'm getting better," Naruto announced proudly, jerking two thumbs towards his chest in emphasis.

Sasuke blinked. "You're getting better?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, I believe the exact words were 'your condition is improving'," said Naruto, making air quotes with his fingers. Sasuke took in the wide grin, the elated blue eyes, the innocent look of hope staining Naruto's cheeks...

...and as much as he wanted to caution the blonde to not get his hopes up too high too quickly, he knew that Naruto needed him to be happy for him right now. So he stood stiffly from the ground and gave Naruto a genuine smile. Naruto brightened at that and swiftly embraced Sasuke.

"Looks like I might get out of here after all," Naruto said quietly. Sasuke nodded against Naruto's cheek. He could feel his breath against his hair and the side of his neck, slightly faster than normal in his excitement.

"I told you," he chided with a smile.

Naruto laughed. "Well, forgive me for being skeptical."

_That makes two,_ Sasuke thought, then immediately hated himself for it. He wanted to be as purely happy for Naruto as Naruto was for himself, but his default cynicism was getting in the way. Yes, he regularly reassured Naruto that he would get out of the hospital eventually, that the doctors were getting closer to figuring out how to help him, that he was improving. But despite the confidence that was implied in his words and voice, Sasuke felt no reassurance. Every time he whispered such encouragements to Naruto while he held him at night, the usual doubts screamed for notice inside his mind. The very things with which Naruto had confronted him wouldn't leave him alone, impartial to his efforts to ignore them.

The truth was that while Naruto had shown progress in his last "incident", as the doctors politely called each of his attempts, the progress had been unexpected. Not one of the doctors had thought that Naruto would come this far. And while The Incident had proved to everyone that Naruto's condition was not set in stone, it by no means guaranteed eventual absolution for the blonde. All it guaranteed was that the condition could no longer be underestimated, that it was capable of change at any time with no warning. For all anyone knew, if Naruto could improve, then he could worsen as well. So as much as Sasuke wanted to wholeheartedly join Naruto in whatever celebration was sure to ensue, he couldn't completely ignore his inner reservations.

But now was not the time to lend them voice. Right now, Naruto needed Sasuke to allow him to hope. So, Sasuke simply hugged Naruto and prayed to god that at least his face looked sincere.

This was the scene that greeted Shikamaru as he entered the courtyard: Kiba idly throwing a tennis ball against the brick wall and catching it on the return; Lee power-walking in counterclockwise laps; and Naruto, with his back to Shikamaru, embracing a Sasuke who was apparently out of his emotional element. He felt Sasuke's eyes on him as he shut the door behind him and walked in an exactly parallel line with the adjacent wall to the nearest corner, then, leaning back against the rough brick, looked back at him. Sasuke's eyebrow arched in question, to which Shikamaru responded with a subtle nod.

"Oi, Lee! Let's play frisbee," Naruto called out, breaking the embrace. Sasuke watched him exuberantly crutch himself away with an energy level coming dangerously close to matching that of Kiba. Lee seemed to heartily agree with the idea and sprinted to where the frisbee lay on the ground, picked it up, and promptly chucked it at Naruto's head. In a matter of seconds the two were throwing the disc to each other with a slightly dangerous level of zeal, Lee running after any throws Naruto couldn't quite catch.

Sasuke waited until Naruto was fully absorbed in his game of Kamikaze!Frisbee to make his way over to Shikamaru's assumed corner, where he remained leaning against the wall, staring aimlessly at the sky above him.

"Were you talking to Ten Ten about--"

"Yes."

Pause. "And did you--"

"Yes. I put it under your bed."

Sasuke looked at him, a bit disbelievingly. "I thought you said you wouldn't have it for two days."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I said that in front of Naruto. As long as he still thinks he's not getting a "gift" until tomorrow, you still have the element of surprise."

"Oh," was the only answer Sasuke could come up with, brilliant genius that he was. The two boys stood in amiable silence for a few minutes, Sasuke watching the frisbee flying back and forth at unnatural speeds.

Shikamaru cleared his throat after a while. "What was that all about?"

Sasuke turned away from the game to look at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "What was _what_ all about?"

"That long-ass hug," Shikamaru returned without missing a beat. A moody Uchiha was nothing new.

"Oh," said Sasuke, his face falling a bit. "Shizune told Naruto that she thinks his condition is 'improving'," repeating Naruto's finger quotation marks with a slight grimace.

"Really?" asked Shikamaru apprehensively.

Sasuke sighed. "Yeah..."

"Why would she do that? That's just giving the kid false hope," Shikamaru muttered. Sasuke shot him a quick look.

"You think so, too?"

"Well, yeah," Shikamaru responded evenly. "Just because he could see what was happening this last time doesn't mean he will tomorrow."

"Yes, _thank you_," Sasuke said with more force than he intended, happy that someone agreed with him. "My thoughts exa--"

Then something in Shikamaru's words hit Sasuke. He remembered his first group session, when Neji had still been a resident. Something that Shikamaru had said back then...

"Shika," said Sasuke in a tone belying trepidation, severity, and hope all at once. "Were you serious when you said you could predict when Naruto would next attempt?"

"I didn't say I could. I said I _thought_ I could," said Shikamaru. "Big difference."

"Small enough for me," responded Sasuke quickly.

"It shouldn't be," Shikamaru hastened to correct. "I was off by two days last time. For all I know, it can't be mathematically determined." He sighed then. "I was just bored one day, and Neji gave me the idea to shut me up."

Sasuke laughed at that. "Shut _you_ up?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, believe it or not, I'm the talkative one between the two of us," he responded dryly with a smirk. "Neji's more of the glare-until-I-get-what-I-want kind of person. More so than you." Sasuke's answer to the jab was the all-too-predictable glower.

"Still, though, I can't say that I blame Shizune for wanting to give him good news," Shikamaru said. It took Sasuke a few seconds to realize that they had returned to the topic of Naruto. "He hasn't heard any since he came here."

Sasuke nodded silently, not having quite thought of it in that way. "How long ago was that?"

"He's been here longer than me and Kiba," answered Shikamaru vaguely.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough."

Sasuke made a small, frustrated noise at Shikamaru's assumed discretion. "Shika--"

Shikamaru turned then and looked squarely at Sasuke. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you Naruto's past. If he hasn't told you, he has a reason." He returned his gaze to the sky. "He will when the time is right."

Sasuke hadn't really entertained the idea that Naruto had a past, although he was now kicking himself for not paying more attention to Naruto's file while he had had the chance.

"He probably assumes I already know," he said with sudden realization. "He knows I saw his file."

"Then ask him."

Sasuke nodded again, though he wasn't sure if he would be able to just bluntly ask Naruto to air his dirty laundry. For now he was content to believe that it would come up eventually.

Shikamaru was content to stare at thin air. Everyone always thought that he was watching the clouds, but the truth was that he was too inherently lazy to watch much of anything. He just pointed his head at the most convenient large object—in this case, the sky--and people assumed he was contemplating whatever it was that geniuses contemplated. Not Shikamaru. He wasn't picky; staring at nothing was good enough for him.

So he stared at nothing, at least until something caught his attention from the corner of his gaze. He shifted his eyes to the left and looked into the windows overlooking the courtyard until he found what he was looking for: A man and woman stood watching them with Shizune and another man in an expensive-looking suit. _Probably a board member,_ Shikamaru mused. All four were staring across the courtyard, and Shikamaru followed their gaze.

Kiba was still throwing his ball against the brick wall and catching it as it bounced back towards him, throwing it at a different spot every time so that it bounced in another direction. Shikamaru watched as he threw it particularly hard at a slight downward angle. The ball came off the wall hard and landed in a muddy puddle still lingering from the thunderstorm the previous night. Kiba yelped, covering his face with his arm as the water splashed up at him. Shikamaru looked back at the window. The man and the woman were smiling and seemed to be laughing. The woman pointed out of the window with an even bigger smile. Shikamaru quickly glanced back at Kiba to find him shaking his head like a wet dog.

"What?" Sasuke asked, reminding Shikamaru of his presence.

Shikamaru shifted his gaze back to the window, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Something's going on." Sasuke looked away from Kiba and stared into the window.

"Who are they?"

"I don't know," said Shikamaru, but he had an idea. After all, Kiba had been taken from the group on several occasions and brought back a significant amount of time later, and according to Kiba, he hadn't been talking to Shizune or any other doctors, just playing alone in a room with "a funny mirror". Shikamaru hoped he was wrong, but there were only so many reasons that Kiba would be being observed...

Both boys watched the man and woman shake hands with Shizune and Suit Man. The woman turned as they made their way out of the room, taking one last look into the courtyard.

Sasuke gasped then. "You don't think--"

"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice interrupted. Sasuke and Shikamaru turned away from the window to see Naruto coming towards them, frisbee in hand and Lee following closely behind.

"Yeah," Shikamaru answered in a low voice as Naruto drew closer. Sasuke looked back at him, eyes wide. "Don't say anything."

Sasuke nodded as he swallowed hard. Before he knew it, Naruto was in front of him, waving a frisbee in his face and demanding that he play with him. As he was pulled forcefully towards the center of the courtyard by Lee, Sasuke looked back at Shikamaru, who had gone back to staring up at the sky. To any casual observer, he would have looked completely calm, void of expression. But Sasuke saw it, the slight crease between his eyebrows that boded anything but well.

* * *

Naruto's steadily climbing level of euphoria was starting to scare Sasuke. Not scare, as in please-don't-get-your-hopes-up-too-high scare, but as in please-stop-pinching-my-butt-so-hard-you-uncommonly-forward-bastard scare. How the blonde was able to manage so many successive ass-grabs while hobbling behind him on crutches he would never understand.

"Shika!" he heard Kiba say loudly behind him. "We should play bowling!"

"What?" Shikamaru asked warily.

"Just say no, Shika," Sasuke threw back over his shoulder.

"No."

"Aw, Shika! It'll be fun!" Kiba whined. "We just need, like, a thousand pins, and a really huge heavy ball--"

Shikamaru looked at Kiba apprehensively. "That's not bowling."

"Yes, it is," Lee piped up. "Sasuke told us."

"No I didn't!" exclaimed Sasuke defensively, whirling around and effectively stopping the group's trek down the hallway. "That's just their crack-infused version of it!"

Kiba wrinkled his nose. "What's 'crack'?"

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Nothing, Kiba." Kiba pouted, prepared to argue that he never got to know _anything, _but Shikamaru wisely distracted him with an "I can't play, Kiba."

Distraction Successful. Kiba swung his head to stare at Shikamaru in surprise, because who in their right mind would give up _bowling with a thousand pins?_

"I have to write a letter to Neji," Shikamaru stated, answering the unasked question.

Kiba frowned. "Lame."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, wondering where the hell Kiba had picked up surfer slang. "Yeah, it's really too bad," he said in a slightly condescending tone. "And I don't think Sasuke or Naruto can play, either."

"What?!" Kiba yelled disbelievingly, turning his stare on the pair.

"We can't?" asked Naruto, bewilderedly. "Why not?"

Shikamaru smirked and looked at Sasuke. "I think they'll be playing their own game." Sasuke could feel his face getting hotter by the nanosecond.

Lee started bouncing up and down, adding to the loveliness that was the situation. "Oooh, which game? Can we play?"

Shikamaru's smirk just grew wider. "Um, post office, I think. Right?"

Sasuke's eyes went as wide as his mortification could stretch them, while, to his relief, Naruto just kept staring confusedly at Shikamaru.

The ensuing span of silence felt to Sasuke to be about as long as that eight-second period feels to a struggling bull rider. After a few moments of enjoying Sasuke's discomfort, Shikamaru had at least a small amount of courtesy left in him, enough to turn to Lee and calmly inform him that "post office" was, in fact, more appropriately played by just two people.

"Whatever," Kiba blurted out. "It sounds totally boring anyway."

"You're a weird guy," Naruto informed Shikamaru, still looking puzzled but opting to continue down the hallway. Shikamaru just smiled.

"I hate you," Sasuke hissed with such vehemence that if Shikamaru had been less of a man—er, mature boy—he would have flinched. As it was, Naruto's voice saved him the trouble of coming up with a reaction.

"Come on, Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared for another second or two before swiftly turning and following the group towards their wing. Shikamaru sighed happily.

Oh, how he loved being older than everyone. It lent him such a...a conveniently more experienced hand at life with his fellow crazies.

* * *

Sasuke obediently followed Naruto through the common room. Naruto was moving really fast...

"Hurry up!" Naruto whispered urgently as he opened the door to Sasuke's bedroom. Sasuke shot him an odd look but followed anyways.

"Have fun with your lame game," Kiba said snottily.

"Yeah!" said Lee, never one to be left out of a conversation.

Sasuke shot them a look as well. "Alright..."

Suddenly a hand reached through the door, grabbed a fistful of Sasuke's shirt, and yanked him through the doorway. Sasuke hurtled into the room, stopping himself by the bed and righting himself. "Good Lord, Naruto--"

Naruto answered by reaching the foot of a crutch behind him and slamming the door shut, then swinging it up to Sasuke's chest and forcefully pushed him down on the bed.

"Ow!" said Sasuke, rubbing his chest where the crutch had bruised it for emphasis.

Naruto grinned maniacally. Sasuke was worried that he was going to start getting stretch marks around his eyes with how much they had been held wide today.

Naruto dropped his crutches haphazardly on the ground and hopped over to the bed on one foot, ignoring Sasuke's chastising glare as he sat down and began the process of worming himself over to lay beside Sasuke without putting pressure on his leg. Sasuke, still staring guardedly, retreated an inch for each one Naruto managed to advance.

Naruto pouted, holding his torso off the bed with his arms.

"You're being weird," Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on, Sasuke!" Naruto half whined, half groaned and started to wriggle again towards Sasuke, who was laying still now, what with nowhere else to squirm. "I'm happy," he said with a huff as he reached Sasuke's side, "and I'm horny. And, for once," he grinned then, awkwardly flopping his injured leg over both of Sasuke's and maneuvering his upper half to hover over Sasuke's chest, "_I'm_ initiating something."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but before he could form any kind of response Naruto was craning his head down and kissing him hard. Sasuke kissed him back more out of habit than anything, opening his mouth mechanically when a tongue rubbed insistently against his lips. With Naruto so bold, Sasuke was finding himself less and less nervous. If he could get Naruto to come up with the idea of sex on his own, Sasuke's job would be a whole lot easier, and with Naruto acting like this, the thought was certainly plausible.

Still, though, Sasuke found himself wanting to retain some measure of control over the situation...

Sasuke swung his weight sideways with his torso, flipping them so that he hovered over Naruto. The blonde grinned up at him before attacking his neck with erratic nips and licks. Sasuke closed his eyes with a happy sigh. But then he felt the hands around his shoulder and the back of his neck tighten and Naruto let out a soft grunt. Sasuke opened his eyes in alarm as he felt his body suddenly careening sideways.

"Ah!" he yelled as he fell over the side of the bed less than gracefully, landing with a thud. Naruto toppled over the edge with him, sprawling haphazardly on top of him and wincing as his leg hit the ground hard.

"Are you okay?" asked Sasuke. Naruto managed to slap a grin on his scrunched-up face, looking slightly crazy.

"Then what the hell was that?!"

"I was trying to turn you over!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice growing louder with exasperation.

"Why?!"

"Because I wanted you under me!" Naruto spluttered, then turned red when he heard his words. Sasuke looked at him warily.

Those words eerily echoed his own thoughts...

"Naruto," he started hesitantly, but stopped when Naruto abruptly turned away and started peering under the bed purposefully. Sasuke blanched then.

Why was Naruto looking down there?

Why did Naruto look like he knew what he was doing?

..._Why was Naruto reaching his hand under the bed??_

Naruto withdrew his arms with a grin, bringing out a small rectangular container as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Sasuke stared at him.

What the hell was going on?

"You know," Naruto murmured, leaning down to kiss Sasuke, "I had an idea--"

"Why do you have that?" Sasuke interrupted, looking wildly back and forth between Naruto and the container in his hand, his mind frantically grasping at any hope that what he thought was going on wasn't.

Naruto grinned cockily at him. "That's part of my idea--"

Sasuke eyes widened with horror. He sat up suddenly, ignoring Naruto's complaints as he was forced up as well. "That was part of _my_ idea!" he said insistently.

Naruto looked at him, his confusion apparent. "It was?"

"How did you know that _that_," Sasuke eyed the container, "was under there?"

"Shika told me in the courtyard. How did _you_ kno--"

"SHIKAMARU!" Sasuke bellowed angrily, and much to Naruto's surprise and Sasuke's horror they heard laughter from outside the bedroom door. Sasuke quickly rose and would have stomped to the door and flung it open if it hadn't been for Naruto's hand on his ankle.

"No—Sasuke..."

Sasuke stopped and glared down at Naruto, who fortunately was quickly growing immune to those looks and held his grip. Sasuke was fuming, his chest rising and falling rapidly with his quick breaths. Finally he crossed his arms and settled for glowering at the closed door.

"I don't get it. I was _with him_ the whole time in the courtyard."

"No you weren't," Naruto said, earning a sharp look. "Right before we went in, you walked in ahead of everyone, and he whispered it to me."

Sasuke frowned, his dislike for the dilemma in which they found themselves growing by the minute, and his dislike for Shikamaru by the nanosecond.

"When did you talk to him about this?" he asked, turning to regard Naruto curiously. Naruto shrugged.

"This morning. You?"

"Yesterday morning."

Naruto nodded and looked at the container in his hand as silence descended upon the room, his previous sense of euphoria nearly gone now. "Sasuke," he asked quietly, looking up at Sasuke's tense form. Sasuke glanced back at him, the intensity of the glare he'd been busy giving the door lessening slightly.

"Well," said Sasuke in an irritated tone, scratching the side of his head with one hand, "what are we going to do?" Naruto just blinked at him. "I mean, I was planning on--"

"Me too," interrupted Naruto, raising a thumb to nibble nervously on the nail.

Sasuke's apprehension was growing by the second. "But I don't want to--"

"Me either."

_Crap._

Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed, not quite sure what to do but not willing to resign himself to..._that_ without at least trying to change Naruto's mind first. He took Naruto's hand away from his mouth and drew it into his lap, holding it there.

"Naruto," he started slowly, "I promise I'll make it as pain-free for you as possible--"

"Hell no!" yelled Naruto, yanking his hand away from Sasuke as though it had been scalded.

"Naruto..." said Sasuke in the closest thing to whine he would allow himself to use.

"No! No way!" Naruto protested, his voice getting higher pitched. "It'll hurt like hell!"

"You're doing an excellent job of convincing me to do it," said Sasuke dryly. Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, pouting. "Look, Naruto..."

"No," said Naruto resolutely. "Besides, it's my big day, and I should get to do what I want, and I _don't _want to do that."

Sasuke closed his eyes in frustration. "So," he ground out, "you're saying there's no chance of sex unless I do it."

"Yes."

Sasuke sighed. Oh _god_, he didn't want to do this...

The room was blanketed in a subtly awkward silence before Sasuke managed to get the word out from behind the lump in his throat.

"Fine."

Naruto's head jerked up in surprise. "Really?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling with a grimace. _Really?_

"Yeah..."

Naruto squealed, his blue eyes lighting up. Sasuke was torn between being happy that Naruto was happy and being pissed that this was _not_ going as planned, but he found himself leaning down and kissing Naruto chastely. Besides, Shikamaru had said that being on the bottom could be nice, too.

Of course, Sasuke had accepted Shikamaru's advice wholeheartedly but had never planned on it being used on him. That changed things a bit.

"Sasuke." Sasuke looked down at Naruto grinning up at him. "Thank you." Sasuke nodded and smiled despite his growing qualms.

"Haha!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly, clapping his hands in glee. Sasuke rolled his eyes and flopped backwards onto the bed. He felt Naruto grab his knees tightly and start to get up off of the floor, but then there was a sharp gasp and the sensation of hands suddenly left his skin. Sasuke lifted his head a few inches and glanced down the length of his body, expecting to see a mop of blonde hair, but the lack of it made him sit up. Naruto was leaning back on his elbows and panting slightly, his face contorted in a sharp wince.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto looked at his leg. "I think I tore a stitch," he said worriedly. Sasuke frowned.

"Inside or out?"

"Outside," Naruto responded, and Sasuke allowed himself a miniature breath of relief. Outside was fine. Outside was easily fixed. If Naruto tore a stitch on the artery, though...that would be bad. And the worst part of it would be having to explain what they were doing when it happened.

Sasuke got up on his feet before reaching down and hooking his hands underneath Naruto's shoulders. He lifted the boy up, Naruto pushing off the ground with his legs and wincing.

"Don't put any weight on it," Sasuke managed to grunt.

"I'm _trying,_" came the irritated reply. Sasuke ignored it and navigated the few feet to the edge of the bed, setting Naruto down on its edge gently. He kneeled down and pushed the bottom of Naruto's loose sweatpants' leg up his thigh to expose the wound, which was now an angry red. Sasuke dragged a finger softly along the length of the incision, ignoring Naruto's flinch as he made sure as gently and as quickly as possible that each of the stitches held.

"It's not bleeding," he looked up and informed Naruto, "and all of the stitches are okay."

Naruto nodded and gave a half-hearted smile that didn't engage his eyes. Sasuke frowned, knowing they were both probably thinking the same thing.

"Are you going to be able to do this?"

"Yes," Naruto said defensively, blue eyes darting up quickly.

"I don't know," said Sasuke. "You can't even lean on that leg." He looked at it warily, then back up at Naruto. "Are you really going to be able to do this?" he repeated.

Naruto opened his mouth to spit out a default defiant response but then frowned, thinking hard and conjuring up every sexual position he could find in his mind. It wasn't for lack of trying that he found himself snapping his mouth shut once more somewhat angrily, unable to think of any possible way to make this work.

Sasuke watched the blonde valiantly struggling to come up with a creative solution for the problem at hand, busily trying to sort out his own raging thoughts. The thing was that Sasuke knew how they could pull it off; the only problem being that his selfishness was getting in the way of his integrity. He had a clean pass at getting out of doing this, and he knew it. All he had to do was not say anything and the blonde would be none the wiser...

Sasuke sighed in frustration, mentally smacking himself repeatedly in the head for apparently having grown a conscience. Having a hard time believing he was actually about to willingly perpetuate the situation, he muttered,

"...there is one way..."

Naruto's eyes brightened perceptibly at Sasuke's quiet announcement.

"Really? How?"

Sasuke began to fidget, suddenly growing uncomfortable. "Well, you would...you would lie down on your back, and...I would sort of..." His face grew the slightest shade of pink as he struggled with his words, desperately wishing that Naruto would get the idea, but one look at the blonde proved his hopes to be horribly ill-founded. Exasperated, Sasuke watched Naruto's face for any sign of recognition as he made a fist with his left hand and lifted his thumb, then with his right formed a lightly closed fist and jerked it down over the upraised thumb.

Naruto's expression didn't change except for the one eyebrow shooting up, which was enough to get Sasuke hoping again that he wouldn't need to verbally spell it out for him.

"Oh."

Then the other eyebrow joined the first almost comically. "_Oh._"

Sasuke got up off of his knees then, rubbing his face tiredly and sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Naruto.

Beside him, Naruto's face had taken on a look of concentration. "I couldn't really do anything that way, though."

"It's the only option, Naruto. You can't do much of anything anyways with that leg," Sasuke stated, and somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the thought that at least this way he could keep some say in how things would go down.

Naruto pouted in as mature a way as possible.

"Look, it's either this way or nothing," Sasuke casually threw out, the hopeful thought quickly emerging in his mind that maybe Naruto didn't want to—

"Yeah, no I wanna do it," Naruto hastily said.

_Damnit._

Well, that was it. All of Sasuke's wistful thoughts and ideas for avoiding this were done, gone, used up...it was happening, for real, and Sasuke was going to (_wince_) bottom. Sasuke looked down at his lap. "Well, let's get started then," he said less than enthusiastically, turning in his seat and leaning over quickly to begin the necessary foreplay.

Naruto's hands shot up to Sasuke's shoulders, stopping him from initiating that first kiss. Sasuke didn't need to ask the question that was painted clearly across his face.

Naruto sighed exasperatedly. "It won't be any fun if you're going to be like this," he explained in what he hoped was a patient tone. Sasuke looked down at his own fidgeting hands, his face mostly blank but pitiful in a way that only Naruto would have been able to see and understand. Naruto could plainly see that there was no way that Sasuke thought the he could possibly enjoy this...

...and suddenly Naruto loved Sasuke for what he was doing for him, what he was willing to go through for him.

Sasuke glanced sideways at Naruto and nearly jumped when he saw the soft, adoring look he was receiving. "What?" he asked skeptically.

Naruto just shrugged, same dopey expression firmly in place as he leaned over and kissed Sasuke gently, watching with absent amusement as Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. His mouth hovered over Sasuke's until he felt Sasuke answer the kiss almost imperceptibly, then with a satisfied smile he leaned back out of Sasuke's personal space.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," he said reassuringly, placing a hand over Sasuke's still fidgeting ones. The corner of his mouth quirked up when he felt Sasuke's hands still under his.

"Hn," was all Sasuke said in a vain attempt to mask his insecurity with indifference, even though he knew Naruto wouldn't buy it. Naruto smiled and kissed him again.

"It must be fine if Shika's willing to do it," he mumbled against Sasuke's lips, then laughed. "We both know Neji's probably not that gentle, either."

This at least got Sasuke to laugh a little bit. Naruto felt Sasuke's body relax minutely, a small sigh issuing from Sasuke's lips and drifting across Naruto's face. Naruto covered Sasuke's lips once more with his own, this time a little more insistently, and was relieved when Sasuke leaned into him, placing a hand softly on his thigh as he kissed back with equal fervor. Naruto quickly slipped his tongue inside Sasuke's lax mouth, gliding over the roof of Sasuke's mouth before rubbing across his tongue. Sasuke squeezed Naruto's thigh slightly as he pushed back against Naruto's tongue with his own, matching thrust for thrust, intensity for intensity. Neither boy struggled to establish his dominance; this kiss had a strange sense of equality, held in place only by Naruto knowing that he couldn't take complete control if he wanted Sasuke to remain a willing partner, and Sasuke knowing that the control was not his to take, not this time.

Naruto fought the urge to pull Sasuke into his lap to straddle him. Force of habit had him wanting Sasuke above him, pressing his body into the mattress deliciously, but somehow he sensed that perching Sasuke atop his rapidly hardening length would only undo his attempts to relax him.

Sasuke opened his eyes as he felt Naruto pull away, mild confusion flickering across his face until he felt Naruto tugging upwards at the hem of Sasuke's shirt, exposing his stomach to the slightly chilled air. He raised his arms obediently, letting Naruto roughly pull the shirt up over his head. Naruto tossed the shirt aside and leaned in, drifting over Sasuke's jaw and nose with feathery kisses pressed to the red spots the rough cotton collar had left in its wake. Sasuke sighed softly, lips slightly parted as he tipped his chin to offer Naruto's mouth more accessibility. Naruto hovered at the juncture between jaw and cheek, nipping, and Sasuke shivered when his nose gently nudged the sensitive skin behind his ear. Sasuke decided that he had had enough of the gentle foreplay when Naruto suddenly closed his teeth around his ear lobe. While Naruto continued playing with the sensitive skin behind his ear, Sasuke's hands moved, from his lap to Naruto's.

Naruto stopped suddenly when a finger hooked itself under the waistband of his sweatpants, looking down at the bold digit. Sasuke jerked it once, hard, though tugging at the elastic really didn't have as dramatic an effect on Naruto's hips as he would have liked. Still, though, Naruto got the idea, rising from his seat and hobbling to stand in front of Sasuke as gracefully as he could, grasping Sasuke's shoulders for support. Sasuke tucked another two fingers from his other hand under the waistband and started tugging them down, stretching the elastic outwards at Naruto's groin to get it comfortably over the noticeable bulge there. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked up at Naruto when he found no boxers underneath. Naruto averted his eyes, his cheeks tinged a light red. Sasuke just smirked and gave the pants one last jerk, letting them pool at Naruto's feet.

Naruto idly brushed his fingers through Sasuke's dark hair, twirling errant strands as Sasuke edged closer to his body. The blonde sighed happily, closing his eyes when Sasuke nuzzled lightly against his stomach while dragging his fingers softly over his thighs. Blue eyes flew open, however, when he felt Sasuke's hand closing around the base of his member. Naruto looked down in time to watch as Sasuke tentatively licked at the head before taking it into his mouth. His fingers continued to stroke Sasuke's head as he continued to take more of the hard length in past moist lips, Sasuke stroking the underside with his tongue.

Naruto let his head drop back a little, his mouth opened slightly and eyes half shut. Sasuke continued to caress the now fully hard cock with his tongue, sliding it in and out of his mouth slowly. Suddenly he gave a harsh suck, snapping Naruto back to his senses, back to awareness that Sasuke was sucking him off..._Sasuke_, who was supposed to be the one relaxing...

"Nnng...no," Naruto said somewhat hoarsely, trying to ignore the lust fogging his brain. Sasuke looked up as he gave him another suck, less severe this time. Naruto pushed against Sasuke's head with his hands. "No, Sasuke!"

Sasuke let Naruto's length slide out of his mouth at Naruto's stern tone, a hint of confusion and frustration showing on his face. Naruto's member throbbed out in the open air, but Naruto closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore it. When he opened them again, he found black ones staring back at him, as if waiting for some direction, or at least an explanation. Naruto just shook his head slightly at the unasked question.

"Lie down," he told Sasuke, loosely waving his hand at the bed. Sasuke looked at him warily but twisted around anyways and reclined so that he was angled properly to fit his whole body on the small mattress. Naruto hopped his way out of the pants around his ankles, oblivious to Sasuke's glare at his antics as he made his way to the foot of the bed, one hand on the mattress for support.

"Unbutton your shorts."

Sasuke shot him an apprehensive look. "Naruto--"

Naruto reached over Sasuke's feet and calves and tugged at the bottom of his shorts.

"But I thought--"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just do it, would ya?"

Sasuke stared at him a moment before murmuring a "hn" in acknowledgement, undoing the button and sliding down the zipper, then lifting his hips as Naruto pulled his shorts down his legs and dropped them on the floor next to his own feet. Naruto suddenly realized he was still wearing his shirt and, with a self-conscious smile, quickly took it off and tossed it on top of the discarded shorts.

"Naruto," Sasuke said again hesitantly. Naruto did an excellent job of ignoring him as he bent over the bed, locking his arms to hold up his torso as he crawled onto the mattress awkwardly, swinging his injured leg onto the mattress. He winced as he brought up the other leg, putting a little too much pressure than was best on the injury, but he continued his slow crawl up over Sasuke's legs.

"Stop!" Sasuke said loudly as he watched Naruto repeatedly flinch at the self-inflicted pain, his wound turning an even blotchier red. Naruto ignored him, much to Sasuke's annoyance. "Naruto, _stop, _we said you couldn't do it this way!"

Naruto inched closer to Sasuke, lining up their bodies with a small grin. "I _know_."

Sasuke glared at him. "Then why the hell are you--"

Naruto decided to stop the tirade before it began, leaning in and kissing Sasuke forcefully mid-sentence. Sasuke made a surprised noise as Naruto quickly slipped his tongue inside his mouth and caressed his own rather roughly for a few moments before pulling back and smirking at him, Sasuke noting idly in the back of his mind that he must be wearing off on the blonde for him to be able to pull that expression off that convincingly.

"I'm not," Naruto said simply. Sasuke's eyebrows arched up violently as he suddenly felt a fist encircle his length and then tighten, slowly stroking up and down, teasing it to hardness. Naruto held the head between his thumb and his forefinger and massaged it while the remaining three fingers continued to rub Sasuke's erection, eliciting a low groan from Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke threw his head back as Naruto's pace increased slightly, his body beginning to react to the firm strokes. Naruto watched Sasuke's eyes fall shut and his mouth open as a pant escaped past his lips and grinned, taking Sasuke's distraction as his opportunity to reach over the side of the bed and grab the lube where he had left it lying on the ground earlier.

"Ah," Sasuke moaned, thrusting his hips shallowly into Naruto's hand. Naruto held the small container tightly in his free hand as he leaned down, kissing Sasuke's forehead, then his cheek and the corner of his mouth before crawling back down Sasuke's body. Still fisting Sasuke's length tightly, Naruto popped the cap off and stuck his finger inside. He lifted the finger out, examining it carefully. _Lots_ of lube, Shika had said...

Naruto pushed the finger back inside and bent it, gathering up as much of the lube as he could on the one digit. He pulled it out again and looked at it, still not happy with the amount. He didn't want to hurt Sasuke...

Then he remembered Shikamaru's physical illustration of three bunched-up fingers, and with a smile he dipped three fingers in the lube, relieved that he had remembered that particularly important detail. This time he was able to scoop up more of the lube and spread it evenly over all three digits. Satisfied that there was enough, he looked next to where the fingers were going to go...

...and found that Sasuke's ass was definitely not accessible in this position. Naruto kept his fist moving quickly up and down Sasuke's erection, unaware of the dark eyes watching him as he tried to figure out the best way to go about reaching...there. Sasuke waited a full minute for Naruto to figure it out; when he didn't, Sasuke rolled his eyes and bent his knees, spreading his legs a little wider. Naruto nearly jumped at the sudden movement. He looked up, expecting to see Sasuke still laying back with his eyes closed but instead finding him staring at him, smirking. Naruto gave an embarrassed half-smile before looking back down at his goal, now clearly visible.

_This is weird..._

He reached forward with his forefinger and pushed lightly against the small hole, looking up quickly to see Sasuke's reaction. Sasuke scowled at him.

"I'm not made of glass," he grumbled amidst now-heavy pants. Naruto nodded and swallowed nervously, then pushed the finger in slowly up to it's first knuckle, then second, carefully watching Sasuke's body for signs of pain.

"How does it feel?" he asked, anxious but curious at the same time.

Sasuke frowned slightly. "Just...weird. Not that bad, but odd...Naruto stop slowing down!"

"Oh!" said Naruto, picking back up the pace he'd dropped since he'd started messing with the lube. He pulled his finger out and pushed it back in slowly, inserting it nearly to the third knuckle before withdrawing it again.

_Okay, next one..._

Naruto winced as he watched his middle finger start to work its way in, stretching the hole in a way that certainly didn't look comfortable.

"The faces really aren't helping, Uzumaki," Sasuke grunted from above him, causing Naruto to mumble a quick "sorry" and wipe his face blank. He watched Sasuke's face as he began to push the two fingers in together, noticing to his chagrin the crease on Sasuke's forehead growing larger.

"You have to relax, Sasuke," he said gently.

Sasuke panted hard, closing his eyes tightly. "Kind of hard," he mumbled. Naruto bit his lip as he watched Sasuke's face contort a little more while the finger continued to push slowly inside his entrance. He hated hurting Sasuke, but he couldn't think of anything he could do to help...

...until Sasuke's erection, bobbing in time with Naruto's strokes, caught his eye, and he grinned. Quickly he shifted his fist to the base of Sasuke's cock before closing his lips over the head. He looked up when he heard Sasuke's short gasp; Sasuke's face wasn't twisted up nearly as bad as it had been before, something which greatly relieved Naruto. He began to suck on the head, licking it heavily while he pushed the fingers the rest of the way into Sasuke, then slowly started to pull them in and out like he had done with the first one and scissoring them slightly. Sasuke's face showed only traces of pain now, mixing freely with pleasure as Naruto started sliding more of Sasuke's length into his mouth.

"Nng," Sasuke moaned, his body tensing as he approached his orgasm. Naruto sped up his licks and bobbed his head quickly, pushing Sasuke along while preparing the third finger at Sasuke's entrance. It wasn't long before Sasuke's back was lifting off of the bed, Sasuke making incoherent noises and gripping the blankets below him tightly. As soon as Naruto felt Sasuke's cum against his tongue he began to push the fingers in. He could feel Sasuke's body tightening and relaxing alternately, confused as to which to react to first, the pain of penetration or the bliss of orgasm.

Naruto steadily pushed into Sasuke until his fingers were completely buried as he let Sasuke's erection slip from his mouth, Sasuke still breathing hard. Naruto began the process of withdrawing his fingers and pushing them back in, stretching Sasuke as much as he could without being too rough. He spread his fingers and wiggled them, hoping Sasuke would loosen up some more.

Suddenly Sasuke's entire body tensed as he gasped loudly, his eyes shooting open to stare at Naruto. Naruto frowned in confusion for a second before he remembered Shikamaru's words: _If you can hit that spot, he'll see stars._ Naruto repeated his motions.

"Oh my god!" Sasuke rasped with a look of wonder.

Naruto grinned. "That good?"

Sasuke nodded, still wide eyed. "Yes, that goo—AH!" he shrieked as Naruto brushed his prostate again, then quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. Naruto laughed a little but continued his stretching, widening the range of his fingers slightly while bumping against that spot a few times, taking pleasure in hearing Sasuke's muffled cries.

"Naruto," Sasuke's now quiet voice said, interrupting Naruto's concentration. Naruto looked up at Sasuke.

"Right then. You ready?" Naruto asked breathily, removing his fingers with a wiggle.

Sasuke nodded, sitting up and scooting as far as he could to the side of the bed so Naruto could lie down. Naruto felt his stomach lurch with nerves as well as excitement as Sasuke moved to straddle Naruto's waist. "More lube," he requested quietly.

"Right!" Naruto had almost forgotten. He grabbed the bottle that lay next to his leg and squeezed an ample glob onto his hand. He hissed lightly as he applied it to his length, the coolness of the jelly making him shiver. "Okay," he said when he was finished. "Go ahead."

Sasuke nodded, and his eyes squeezed shut as he reached down and positioned Naruto's cock at his entrance. They sat there for a moment, Naruto waiting and Sasuke psyching himself up. "O-okay," Sasuke breathed. He bit his lip as he slowly lowered himself down. The pressure built as the head of his cock strained against Sasuke's tight ring of muscle.

"Wiggle a little," Sasuke said, his bottom lip still caught between his teeth and his eyes still squeezed shut.

Naruto complied and he gave a small, shallow thrust upwards. The head of his cock popped into Sasuke's ass and he let out a quiet moan.

"Ahhh—nnnnng…" Sasuke's face was contorted in pain. His legs quivered as they held him in the awkward position he was in.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, reaching up to brush some sweaty bangs out of his eyes, causing his cock to slip another inch into Sasuke.

"AHH—Naruto don't move!" The pure pain and panic in Sasuke's voice frightened Naruto. He lay back quickly, but his eyes were wide.

"Sasuke, we can stop, please, I don't want you to get hurt--" He started to pull out.

"…stop it…" Sasuke growled around clenched teeth. "Give me a minute." Sasuke painstakingly cracked one eye open. "I'm fine."

"Sasuke…if you're sure." Naruto's blue eyes were focused sharply on Sasuke's face.

They sat for what seemed like hours, but probably lasted no longer than a minute, Naruto's eyes trained on Sasuke's and Sasuke forcing himself to inhale and exhale loudly. He then began to slowly, slowly, lower himself down. He made it another inch before he stopped, a slight whimper escaping his lips.

"Sasuke…please."

Sasuke shook his head, insisting that he was fine. Naruto's mind was reeling as he tried to remember his exact conversation with Shikamaru.

_He has to be relaxed—VERY relaxed._ Shikamaru's voice played in his head. Naruto was suddenly stuck with an idea.

"Sasuke, I want you to breathe, okay?"

A clipped nod from Sasuke. Naruto carefully lifted his hand and gently grasped Sasuke's neglected member loosely. Sasuke's eyes flew open in a gasp, and his legs gave way the slightest bit, impaling him further onto Naruto.

"You need to relax, Sasuke," Naruto instructed. He began to languidly pump Sasuke's erection in his hand. Sasuke moaned quietly, and Naruto couldn't help but grin as a small degree of tension in Sasuke's face dissipated. He swept his thumb over the head.

"Ahhh, Naruto!" Sasuke cried.

His legs were shaking so hard now that Naruto could see the muscles spasming beneath the pale skin. Sasuke let out a cry as his legs gave out and he fell down, Naruto's cock disappearing into his ass. Naruto moaned loudly as Sasuke's heat enveloped him fully. His hand continued to stroke Sasuke with firm, quick flicks.

"Gggnn…Sasuke, can I…?"

Sasuke nodded quickly, his breathe coming out in a feathery sigh as Naruto's thumb delved into the slit in his cock. Naruto bucked his hips up into Sasuke's heat and they both let out thick moans. Sasuke's tongue flicked out and wet his lips. His eyes were open now and his cheeks were flushed. He ground down experimentally onto Naruto's hips.

"Ohhhh God, Sasuke…" Naruto groaned, his hips beginning to steadily jerk up of their own accord. Sasuke's cock was oozing precum in his hand and he slowed his rhythm, hoping to draw out Sasuke's pleasure.

"D-don't slow down, damn it," Sasuke ground out. He rose on trembling thighs and let himself sink back down onto Naruto, letting out a breathy moan. "Naruto—try going with me—"

He raised himself again to the point where the tip of Naruto's cock was just inside his puckered entrance. As he slammed himself down, Naruto thrust upwards jerkily. Sasuke let out a chocked cry as Naruto's member slammed against his prostate.

He fell forward, his hands on Naruto's shoulders propping him up as he impaled himself again and again, letting our harsh whimpers as Naruto's hand continued to bring him indescribable pleasure. He felt the familiar tightening of heat in his stomach, and he locked his eyes with Naruto's.

"Faster—_please_…"

Naruto's head fell back onto the pillow as Sasuke began to slam himself down with increasing tempo. He tasted blood in his mouth and realized that he his tongue was unconsciously clamped down between his teeth to quiet his moans.

"'m close—" Sasuke mumbled hurriedly. His entire weight was resting in Naruto's shoulders for support and he bent down and bit at Naruto's lip aggressively. Naruto's hand found the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss so hard that their foreheads knocked together. But their lips were soon biting and licking on each other's necks, jaws and lips that neither noticed.

Sasuke saw black spots in the corner of his vision as the tension in his stomach became unbearable. He forced himself down one last time and, with the help of Naruto's hand which still jerked on his cock, came hard with a silent cry.

Naruto groaned as Sasuke's walls clenched around him and he thrust up one, two, three more times. He let out a guttural moan as he found release, his back arching off the bed, his body rigid.

They both collapsed then, Naruto's arms and legs falling to the bed and Sasuke dropping to lie beside him like a rag doll. The air was filled with nothing but the sounds of their erratic breathing. Sasuke's hand was resting on Naruto's rising and falling chest, and Naruto took it in his, gently pulling on each finger. After a few minutes, their breathing had returned to normal. Sasuke let out a long sigh and rolled over, burying his face into the pillow. Naruto chuckled lightly and his hand dropped to Sasuke's hair.

He sat up slightly and winced—he had forgotten about his leg. He looked down to examine the wound. It was barely bleeding, but it hurt like a bitch. He flopped back onto the bed.

"My leg hurts…" he murmured, his fingers looping through Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke let out a dissatisfied grunt. "My _ass _hurts."

Naruto found himself giggling at this and he let out a small sigh. "You enjoyed it."

"Yeah, yeah…" Sasuke's voice trailed off into the pillow.

Naruto carefully rolled himself onto his side and nudged Sasuke's shoulder with his nose. Sasuke looked up with a raised eyebrow before he rolled over and gently pulled Naruto into his arms, his chest pressing lightly into Naruto's back.

"Wait," Naruto said suddenly. "Does this mean I'm not getting a gift?" He waited for a verbal answer but wasn't quite expecting the smack to the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"...idiot."

Naruto giggled again, leaning back into Sasuke's embrace.

"You're sticky."

"Yeah, who gives a fuck…" Sasuke sounded exhausted as his nose pressed into Naruto's neck.

Naruto smiled at this and he inhaled deeply. He could hear Sasuke's steady breathing against his neck and it slowly lulled him to sleep.

* * *

Shikamaru looked up from his German book when he heard the door to Sasuke's room opening, smiling openly when he saw Naruto emerging with a sleepy Sasuke in tow. Naruto crutched his way over to the couch and poked Lee in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Why's the TV so loud?" he said as well as he could over the volume of the movie that Lee was watching. Lee didn't look at Naruto as he answered, completely absorbed in Aladdin's conversation with his genie.

"Shika said to turn it up."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru with a grin, which was returned before Shikamaru yelled, "Lee, you can turn it down now." Lee promptly pointed the remote control at the screen and turned down the volume.

Naruto made his way around to the front of the couch and plopped down gracelessly next to Lee. "What's it about?"

"Only the wonder that is magic!" replied Lee enthusiastically. Sasuke grimaced at Lee's grating tone of voice, quickly turning away from the couch where he'd fully intended on sitting as closely as possible with Naruto and instead settling for a chair at the table.

"So," said Shikamaru over his book. Sasuke glared at him, getting a smug grin in response. "How'd it go?"

"Shut up," Sasuke spat, narrowing his eyes with the intent of intimidation but finding to his alarm that Shikamaru was seemingly immune to him by now.

"Aww, why?" Shikamaru asked, sounding sickeningly innocent.

"Let's just say I'm not one of your bigger fans at the moment," Sasuke answered dryly.

Shikamaru laughed. "Come on, Sasuke, loosen up a little. Big picture, you got some, right?" Sasuke glared at him some more, refusing to agree with Shikamaru on principle alone. Shikamaru leaned forward, looking dangerously curious.

"So, who...got to go at it?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into even tinier slits, and Shikamaru laughed harder, considering that action answer enough. "Wow," he said in between chuckles, "I had my money on you."

"Sorry to have let you down," Sasuke growled.

"So, how'd you do it then? Since his leg--"

"I'm not talking to you about this!"

"Fine, fine," Shikamaru said, leaning back in his seat almost regretfully. "Well, it sounded like you were having a good time."

"I hate you."

Shikamaru just laughed and stood up. "Whatever. I'm glad it turned out well," he said as he left common room in favor of his bed. Honestly, what did Sasuke expect him to do? Bored out of his mind, and all he got to occupy his genius self with was a first-year German textbook.

Sasuke sighed once Shikamaru's door was shut and stood up from the table, walking lazily into the bathroom and shutting the door with a loud "click". Naruto watched him, then started to heave himself up off the couch, a task that was harder than it would seem with only one leg.

"I'm not digging this movie, Lee," he said, picking up his crutches.

"Why not?" asked Lee, bewildered. "It's totally awesome." Naruto's eye twitched at the new vernacular Lee seemed to have picked up somewhere, though where was anyone's guess, and he was about to respond when a buzzer was heard and the door to the hallway opened.

"Kiba!" Naruto greeted as the boy walked in.

"Hey," Kiba said half-heartedly and sat down in Shikamaru's vacated chair, where he proceeded to sit still in a very un-Kiba-like manner while staring at the table. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He circled around the table, pulling up a chair. It wasn't like Kiba to be, well, so still.

"Kiba?" Naruto asked as he made his way over to the table, confusion lacing his voice.

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom, pushing disheveled bangs out of his eyes as he watched the scene before him, puzzled at Naruto's worried expression and Kiba's calmness.

Naruto squeezed Kiba's shoulder. "What is it, Kiba?"

Kiba lifted his head and met Naruto's concerned gaze. "There's these people..."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. Was Shikamaru right?

"Yeah?" Naruto prodded gently.

"They want me to live with them." Dark, confused eyes looked up at Naruto.

"Naruto, they want me to leave."

* * *

**Long wait equals long chapter. Hopefully that appeases you all. :D Mirandler and I have hit this incredible dry spell as far as inspiration goes. This whole chapter was a product of both us sitting down and forcing ourselves to pull something out that would work. We hope you really enjoy this extraextra long chapter. **

**Reviews—awesome. We're gonna break 300, which is something I'm SO excited for! I must admit though, I have a new goal. There is a Naruto C2 called "The Zenith", and the requirement to be in the C2 is to have at least 400 reviews. We have four chapters left after this one, so I would LOVE it if we could make it into that fantastic C2 by the end of the story. (Oh, and in our little review race, we're still kicking AFF's ass!) **

**Reviews are loved…**

**Later.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: This story is being co-written by mirandler43 of We do not own Naruto, nor do we intend to profit financially from this story.**

Previously:

Kiba lifted his head and met Naruto's concerned gaze. "There's these people..."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. Was Shikamaru right?

"Yeah?" Naruto prodded gently.

"They want me to live with them." Dark, confused eyes looked up at Naruto.

"Naruto, they want me to leave."

* * *

The room stilled, far quieter than it was accustomed to being while occupied. The eerie silence settled slowly, heavily, like a film, trapping everything and everyone underneath it in a suspended state.

It was Lee who first breathed life back into the room.

"Leave?"

The simple question seemed enough to snap everyone out of their stupor. Kiba swung his head to look over at Lee, who by now had turned around on the couch and was sitting on his knees, hands grasping the back support lightly as he stared at Kiba curiously. Kiba nodded with unusual solemnity, his eyes still marred with confusion.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who, much to his unease, hadn't moved or even reacted to Kiba's sudden news, save for the slightly wider eyes. He walked softly along the length of the wall, past the bedroom doors until he reached the last one.

"Like, on a trip?" Lee asked innocently.

"No," came Naruto's quiet voice. Sasuke nearly winced as he watched the blonde lower his head minutely, a slight frown crossing his face.

"But..." Lee looked at Kiba, his confusion painfully obvious.

"I have to leave, Lee," Kiba said. "For good."

Sasuke quickly turned the handle of the doorknob he'd been reaching for and ducked his head inside the room as he heard Lee start to splutter in disbelief. Shikamaru glared up at him from where he was lying on his bed, reading.

"What, you're too good for knock--"

"You need to get out here," said Sasuke lowly, cutting Shikamaru off. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the urgent tone.

"Kiba."

That was all the information Shikamaru needed. He nodded and rose from the bed, closing his German book and tossing it haphazardly on the pillow before following Sasuke out the door.

"...in four days," Kiba was saying as the two walked in.

"What's up, Kiba," Shikamaru said nonchalantly as he sauntered over to the table. Pulling out a chair, he plopped down with a small sigh, lazily stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles while shoving his hands in his pockets.

Kiba swallowed hard, looking almost miserable at having to make his announcement again. "There's a man and a woman, and they want me to go live with them."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kiba nodded, looking at the older boy for some sign of...anything, really. Acknowledgement, acceptance, approval...

Shikamaru sat up suddenly with a grin. "That's awesome!"

Kiba's eyes shot open wide at the unexpected praise of the situation. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Shikamaru said excitedly, quickly looking at Naruto and then at Sasuke standing behind him before returning his attention to Kiba, who was starting to look a little more lively now. "You get to live with a family, Kiba. That's _so cool_."

Kiba perked up. "Yeah?"

"Yup," Shikamaru nodded and leaned back in his chair once more, looking very self-assured. Sasuke stepped closer behind Naruto, extending a hand and nudging Naruto's arm softly. Naruto glanced back at him, eyes awash in an emotion Sasuke did his best to ignore, giving him a small smile. He leaned in until his lips were next to Naruto's ear, nuzzling against the blonde hair with his nose.

"Kiba needs you," he murmured quietly. He felt Naruto's body tense, whether from his breath against the shell of his ear or from the weight of what he'd said, he didn't know; but to his relief Naruto relaxed a moment later and nodded slightly against his nose. Naruto turned back to Kiba, smiling brightly for his benefit.

"Yeah, Kiba, maybe you can get a dog!"

Kiba looked at Naruto in surprise before his eyes lit up. "I can get a dog?!"

"Well, I don't know for sure," said Naruto quickly before things got out of hand. "You'll have to ask your parents."

Kiba's eyes got big. "Parents..." he said softly. Sasuke watched as Kiba processed that thought, a look of awe surfacing on his face. Naruto squeezed his hand where it was on Kiba's shoulder and smiled down at him.

The moment was effectively ruined when Lee loudly demanded to know what name Kiba was going to give his new dog. Kiba jumped up.

"I'll call him Kiba!"

"No!" Lee yelled, disapproval marring his face. "You can't name the dog after _you_!"

Kiba frowned in thought. "How about Rex?"

"Or Shadow!" Lee interjected.

"Or _Earl!"_

"Or Reiseauβkunft!" Lee proclaimed, scrunching up his face in an effort to pronounce the foreign word.

"Ew, NO," Kiba yelled.

"Is it bad that even though I know I only have four more days to enjoy this, they still annoy me?" Shikamaru asked in a bored tone, turning to Naruto and Sasuke as the two boys kept arguing over suitable names. Sasuke laughed, hoping the keep the mood light. Naruto turned around, his smile receding a bit, and Sasuke suddenly had a chestful of blonde. He wrapped his arms around Naruto and hugged him tightly in an effort to convey all of the thoughts racing through his mind that he couldn't quite bring himself to say out loud. As quickly as Naruto had initiated it he withdrew from the embrace, grin firmly back in place, causing Sasuke to smile weakly. How ironic; he'd asked Naruto to drop that mask from the beginning of his stay, and now he wanted nothing more than for Naruto to hold onto it for just a bit longer.

"Four days," said Naruto quietly, a resolute look taking hold in his eyes before he walked quickly past Sasuke towards the still bickering boys.

"Kiba! Let's play a game!"

Sasuke folded his arms across his chest, face carefully blank as he watched Kiba run for the crayons and paper. He heard Shikamaru sigh behind him and looked back over his shoulder to see him leaning back in his chair, face just as blank.

* * *

The ball snapped back to his hand with a quiet _thump_ and Sasuke twirled it around in his palm for a few moments before throwing it at the wall opposite him again. It bounced back again, harder this time. His arm shot out to the left to snatch the ricochet shot before it bounced out of his reach, and he was surprised by his own quickness. 

For the last hour or so his mind had been surprisingly blank, focusing on the tan ball as it bounced between the wall and his hand, and nothing else. When Kiba had spilled the news earlier that night that he was going to leave, everything seemed to switch into a dull slow-motion. Naruto had gone off to entertain Kiba, but Shikamaru, Lee and himself found themselves standing in the common room for several minutes in silence, no one moving or speaking. No one knew how to react.

It was well known at St. Olaf that patients were discharged from the hospital if they were deemed "healthy" by the hospital's main staff of doctors, but no one really expected it to happen to them. Especially not to Kiba. Sasuke had waited for Naruto and Kiba to emerge from Kiba's room for a good twenty minutes, but the sounds of giggling and laughter showed no signs of slowing, so he had finally retreated to his own room. Finding one of Kiba's toy balls in the corner, he began the mind-numbing game of playing catch with himself.

It had been more than two hours, and Naruto and Kiba were still playing. He wanted nothing more than to have some time alone with Naruto, to assure him that everything would be okay, but Naruto had jumped back into the hectic life of Kiba, if only, Sasuke surmised, to keep his own mind off the impending departure. And although this irritated Sasuke to a degree, he couldn't ignore the fact that he was doing precisely the same thing.

The ball bounced out of his reach and he watched it roll mockingly away, too tired to move and retrieve it. He let his head fall to his chest wearily and he heard the sounds of Kiba's shrieking laughter filter through the space under his door. He found his mind drifting back to Kiba's sad news..._Where is he going? He's not well enough to live in a regular home, so he must be being transferred to another hospital...but why? He was doing fine here..._He grunted out loud and shook his head. Not now; he wouldn't think about it until later. Right now he was tired. He eyed his bed and gave a short sigh, psyching himself up to get to his feet and make it over to his bed.

After several moments of failed inspirational thoughts, Sasuke resorted to crawling over to the bed on his hands and knees. He collapsed onto the bed and wiggled under the thin blanket quickly, unconsciously releasing yet another sigh. He was surprised with himself...Kiba's news had shocked him, yes, but he didn't expect to feel so..._drained_.

He closed his eyes and pulled the covers over his head. The mattress groaned as his shifted to his side, and he was reminded of why he had opted to sleeping with Naruto for the last week. He ignored the squeak of the springs beneath him as he shifted again, letting a slow breath out from pursed lips.

After several minutes of tossing and turning, sleep came.

* * *

The wind whipped his hair across his face and he could feel cool, tall grass rippling against his legs. Sasuke stood slowly, eyeing his surroundings warily. He was in the middle of a green plain and he could see mountains in the distance.

Great. He was dreaming. He folded his arms over his chest and searched the area apprehensively for dangerous projectiles or rivers of blood or anything equally cliché that was usually associated with his nightmares.

Nothing.

He became suspicious as he moved to his left towards a grove of trees. He could hear faint voices beyond the line of trees and he waded through the tall grasses towards the sound. When he reached the woods, he stopped short.

A family sat in the middle of the clearing in a circle, a basket sitting in the middle. A man, a woman and two children. He immediately recognized the adults as his parents and the eldest child as Itachi. He could see a five-month-old version of himself being bounced on his mother's lap. He watched in confusion as his father silently passed out rice balls around the circle.

Sasuke moved forward, inching towards the family, banking on the idea that his family would not be able to see or hear him, as in the movies. He was about fifty feet from the small group when his mother called out, "Hello!"

He froze and swore to himself. Why could they see him? He gave his mother a weak smile, praying that she didn't recognize him as an older version of her young son. "Hi," he responded. He didn't move from his spot, waiting to see her reaction.

She just smiled pleasantly at him. "Would you like to join us?"

Sasuke watched his father give Mikoto a disapproving look. "Please, Mikoto," he said lowly.

Mikoto looked back at him evenly for a few moments before returning her gaze to Sasuke. "We have food, if you'd like some."

Sasuke bit his lip, undecided. His father was giving him an all too familiar warning look, daring him to come closer and sit. He could feel his mother's soft, encouraging eyes watching him and he saw Itachi looking at him, disinterest written all over his young face. He had been conditioned to fear and respect his father all his life, and yet...this was a dream, what could he do? And the sight of his parents, even though it was a mere figment of his imagination, was drawing him in.

He stepped forward and sat next to Mikoto and baby Sasuke.

Mikoto smiled, looking pleased. "Rice balls?" she offered him, holding out the box.

"Yes, thank you," Sasuke murmured, taking one and setting it on his lap. He was fighting the smile that was trying to work its way onto his face...he was sitting next to his mother, after so long.

Conversation picked up again as Sasuke listened and chewed on the rice. Most of the talk focused on Itachi and the school he was going to be attending the coming fall. Itachi answered questions asked of him evenly, politely. He seemed to bore with the whole situation after a few minutes and he stood, walking over to Mikoto and holding out his arms.

Mikoto smiled brightly and she handed up the gurgling baby Sasuke into Itachi's arms. Sasuke felt something in his chest tighten as Itachi pulled Sasuke in close and nuzzled his neck as he walked off to another part of the clearing. He was embarrassed at how hard he had to struggle to get out his next words.

"So, your sons..." he trailed off.

Mikoto placed a hand over her chest. "They're perfect."

Sasuke found himself surprised. "Really?"

"Itachi and Sasuke...are my life."

Hearing this made emotion well up in Sasuke in a way that he wasn't prepared for.

"Mom..." his voice cracked.

A loud bang jerked Sasuke's body awake and he lay almost panting on his bed. He stared at the ceiling as Naruto appeared in the corner of his vision.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you asleep?" Naruto asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyebrows furrowed in apology.

Sasuke didn't speak. He was trying to erase the weird feeling that was surrounding him. He felt fuzzy...sad, yet happy, almost like he was floating.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, placing a hand on Sasuke's wrist. "You okay?"

Sasuke nodded slowly.

"Another dream?" Naruto asked softly, stroking his arm gently through the blanket. He obviously thought it had been another one of Sasuke's nightmares.

"Yeah...it was different, though..."

"In a good way or a bad way?"

"I...don't know," Sasuke muttered as he sat up, rubbing his forehead. "Just reliving my childhood, I guess."

Naruto nodded but didn't respond beyond that. Sasuke leaned towards Naruto, a curious look on his face. "You...you've never told me about your childhood, Naruto."

Naruto seemed a bit startled, but he recovered quickly. "It's not very interesting."

"I'm curious," Sasuke said, scooting so that his hip aligned with Naruto's.

He didn't want to think about his dream and Naruto didn't want to think about Kiba. Naruto seemed to realize that this was the perfect way to avoid he dreaded subject and he sighed.

"Your parents," Sasuke pressed. "What were they like?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know, really. They died when I was three."

The obligatory "I'm sorry" escaped Sasuke. Naruto waved him off. "It's fine. I don't remember them at all, and I've come to terms with that. All I know is what my foster parents told me."

"Which is...?"

"My mom was a dance teacher."

"Like...exotic?"

Naruto punched Sasuke in the arm. "Ballet, smart ass. I guess she had her own studio and everything. My dad was into some business, I never really found out for sure. Anyway, I was sent to a foster home, which was great. They were nice people and they really seemed to like me."

Sasuke nodded. He was surprised at how calm and detached Naruto was about never having met his parents.

Naruto continued. "Then when I was seven, I had my first "accident"." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I jumped off a twenty foot balcony." Sasuke was sorry he asked and he bowed his head slightly. "They thought it was just me being a crazy kid, so they never really paid attention to it. Then the next year, we were doing arts and crafts in school, and I took a scissors to my wrists."

Again, Sasuke was amazed at how nonchalant Naruto was about everything.

"They got concerned then, so they brought me to a doctor. They weren't much help, since my condition is the first reported of its kind. They didn't understand how I could continue to try to kill myself when I truly didn't want to die. My parents resorted to keeping me under near constant surveillance for a few months before I tried again. They decided then that I was too much for them to handle, and they admitted me to a treatment facility."

The story was actually depressing Sasuke. Naruto smiled at him and ruffled his hair affectionately. "It's not that bad, Sasuke."

"Yeah, well...I think it is."

"Well, it gets better. Wanna hear?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Well, I was moved around a lot when I was younger, to different hospitals, because no one seemed to know what to do with me. My foster parents visited me a lot at first, several times a week. But as the years passed, the visits turned annual, and now...I haven't seen them in two years."

Sasuke glared, feeling anger against Naruto's foster parents rising in him. "I thought you said it gets better."

Naruto grinned again and moved to his forehead pressed against Sasuke's. "Then I got transferred here. Which _is_ good. I live here for a long while, getting to know the boys...Kiba, Shika and Neji. And then, the _best_ thing happened."

Sasuke was lost in Naruto's eyes, reveling the feeling of Naruto's breath fanning over his face. "Yeah?"

Naruto's smile grew. "Yeah. You arrived." He closed the distance between them and kissed Sasuke gently, his hands moving up to cup Sasuke's face. Sasuke sighed and let his hands rest around Naruto's neck. "This is the best time of my life, you know."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Naruto moved in again, his lips hovering over Sasuke's before brushing against them lightly. "I never want this to end."

"Me neither."

Naruto leaned forward and nuzzled into Sasuke's shoulder and Sasuke's arms wrapped around him, holding him close. "I'm glad you came."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

Naruto ambled through the wide doorway and into the common room, reaching behind him to shut the door softly. Shika waved half-heartedly at him from where he sat leaning back on the armrest of the couch, not looking up from his book. Naruto began walking towards the couch when Sasuke's head lolled lazily over the armrest of the couch to look at him.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the less-than-normal sight. "Hi?"

"Hi," replied Sasuke comfortably, though his voice came out strained and higher in pitch from stretching his neck so far backwards.

"Where's Kiba?"

"Ten-Ten told him to start packing."

Naruto nodded as he plopped down in the chair next to the couch, his lips forming a small silent "o" in acknowledgement. A small sigh prompted Naruto to look strangely at Sasuke again. "What's with you?"

"…huh?"

"What's _with you?_" Naruto replied condescendingly.

"I'm bored," Sasuke said in a very Shikamaru-esque tone. Naruto grinned as he curled his good leg underneath him.

"Why don't you help Kiba pack?"

Sasuke snorted. "Not that bored. Besides, Lee's helping him, and I think that's all the energy _that_ room needs."

Naruto smiled at that, though the expression had a bittersweet undertone to it. "Does he even have a suitcase? I've never seen one."

"Don't know."

"Hey Naruto," Shikamaru's voice interjected fluidly into the small talk.

"Yeah?"

"Where are the crutches?"

Sasuke looked sideways at Naruto, then jerked his neck upright abruptly. "You don't have crutches anymore?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You are _so_ observant."

"Shut it, wise ass."

"You need to stop hanging out with Shika," Naruto said as he furrowed his eyebrows, which of course attracted the imminent black glare. "So anyway, I just have to keep wearing this brace and not put too much weight on my leg, and I'm good."

"Sweet," said Shikamaru in what sounded like an absent-minded tone. However, the not-so-discreet nudge to Sasuke's knee with his toe suggested that Shikamaru was otherwise.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the offending toe before looking up at Shikamaru, who he was surprised to find staring right back at him. Shikamaru twitched an eyebrow up. "Sasuke. Naruto doesn't have to use crutches anymore."

Sasuke could only manage a confused expression.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes in irritation. "_Sasuke._"

"_Shika."_

"Dude, he doesn't have crutches anymore. I think he may be fit for…" he paused to insert a suggestive smirk, "for _activities."_

Shikamaru's smirk remained fixed in place as he watched Sasuke processing the mildly cryptic message. _Wait for it…_

Sasuke's eyebrows suddenly jumped, and he swung his head to look at Naruto, who stared back at him warily.

"You don't have crutches anymore."

"Yes, I'm aware, _thank you," _Naruto said. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sasuke's gaze became a bit harder. "It's payback time."

And suddenly Naruto understood. His eyes grew wider as Sasuke's narrowed a bit. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he stood up as gracefully as he could.

"I, uh, have to go to the bathroom…"

And with that he turned and began walking as quickly as a boy in a walking cast can, the hair on the back of his neck practically standing as he heard Sasuke quickly rise and follow behind him.

Shikamaru groaned. "Not in the bathroom…"

Naruto was too busy attempting to beat Sasuke to the bathroom to pay any mind to Shikamaru, and Sasuke too caught up in the slowest chase he'd ever experienced.

"Really, Sasuke, I have to go to the bathroom!" Naruto said anxiously.

"Yeah, somehow I don't believe--"

Suddenly a Kiba-shaped blur cut off Naruto's path to the bathroom, ducking in ahead of him. Before Naruto could even form a question, though, the boy shot out of the room and back to his, a small trail of white floating behind him.

A small stretch of silence. Then, "…was that toilet paper?"

"I don't know," Naruto said in a bewildered tone. He took the few steps he had left in front of him and peeked his head inside the bathroom.

"Oh my god."

"What?" Sasuke asked as he walked up behind Naruto, looking over the blonde's shoulder into the room.

"Oh my god," he said, sounding somewhat amused. "Shika."

"What?" came the inevitable groan.

"Come look at this."

Shikamaru grumbled under his breath but stood up anyways, tossing his book on the couch and walking over to the pair.

"What's got you pansies so…" he said, his voice trailing off as he looked inside.

The bathroom was completely bare.

Well, almost completely bare. The trashcan still sat by the toilet, and there was still a bar of soap freestanding on the shelf in the shower. Other than that, though, the bathroom was completely bare.

Shikamaru let out a sharp bark of a laugh.

"Hey!" Naruto said indignantly. "He took my towel!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Oh _no._ Not the magically non-germ-infested towel!"

Naruto glared at him heatedly. "Shut up, _wise ass."_

"Children," Shikamaru grunted.

"Yeah, magic," Sasuke said lowly, pointedly ignoring Shikamaru. "It's amazing how your germs and your dead skin cells aren't dirty, but everyone else's are."

Shikamaru took the opportunity to smack both boys on the back of their heads. He also took the opportunity to laugh at their indignant noises.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind them before the owner quickly started shoving his way through the three human roadblocks. Shikamaru, Sasuke and Naruto watched in bewilderment as Lee knelt down beside the toilet and reached behind its tank with certainty and pulled out a squeegee.

Sasuke's left eye twitched. "What the--"

Lee didn't let him finish, opting instead to throw himself like a kamikaze through the mass of bodies once more with the optimism of a fifteen-year-old on LSD. And, surprisingly, he cut a path through Naruto and Sasuke fairly easily.

Shikamaru was another story. He shot a hand out and grabbed a fistful of Lee, effectively halting his progress but not halting his efforts. Frantically Lee swung his body, trying to dislodge Shikamaru, but the older boy held fast while grabbing the only visible part of the squeegee with his free hand.

"Give it back!!"

"NO!!"

"Lee, you BRAT!"

Sasuke and Naruto stood motionless, watching the scene unfold before them with wide eyes.

"Shika…" Sasuke finally forced past his lips, "…you own a _squeegee?"_

Shikamaru just grunted, whether in acknowledgement of ownership or just from the effort of trying to get the thing back, Sasuke couldn't quite tell.

"And you didn't tell me?!" Naruto shrieked.

"LEE! I am SO serious!"

"_That's_ how the shower stayed so mold-free," mused Naruto. Sasuke looked at him with one eye narrowed.

"What?" Naruto blinked innocently.

Sasuke's eye narrowed a little more. "You're a freak. Why am I sleeping with you?"

Lee's side of the scuffle stalled at the words as he beamed proudly in Naruto and Sasuke's direction. "Oh, such a wondrous display of--"

"HA!" Shikamaru suddenly yelled as he wrenched the squeegee out of Lee's slackening grip. Lee looked back at his empty hands in shock before reverting to the tried-and-true full-power pout mode.

"Why do you want that, anyway, Lee?" Naruto asked while hesitantly eyeing Shikamaru and the squeegee he was clutching with far more affection than was normal for a person to show an inanimate object.

Lee sighed dramatically, crossing his arms over his chest. "Kiba didn't know what to pack, so I told him to pack everything."

Shikamaru stared at him disbelievingly. "Wha—why…Lee!"

"What?"

"He can't pack _everything!"_

"Yes he can," Lee hastily corrected Shikamaru, much to his eye's twitching displeasure. "This way he won't forget anything."

"Yeah, well he doesn't need to take all of my shi--"

Before anyone knew what was happening Lee made a grab for the squeegee, and due to Shikamaru's surprise, managed to free it again and run with it to Kiba's room. Shikamaru uttered an undefinable sound of rage as he followed, Sasuke and Naruto on his heels.

"Kiba, catch!" Lee was yelling when the three broke into the room.

"NO!" Shika shouted, but Lee threw it anyways. Unfortunately for Lee and Kiba, however, Shikamaru was much bigger than either of them and thus was able to pluck the flying squeegee from the air with relative ease.

Kiba made a whiny noise of protest, but almost immediately, Naruto was standing in front of him, blocking his view of Shikamaru and distracting him from the situation.

"Kiba, why are you packing everything?"

Kiba looked down then at the overflowing suitcase that was settled on top of his bed. Sure enough, a roll of toilet paper sat atop the heap. "I don't know what to pack."

"Well, just pack whatever belongs to you," Naruto said, sitting down next to the suitcase. He turned and began to sift through the pile, setting the toilet paper in his lap and pulling out other various bathroom items.

Kiba frowned at the roll. "But what if they don't have what I need?"

Naruto looked up at Kiba. "Don't worry," he said with a small smile. "They will."

"But what if they don't have toilet paper?" Kiba asked solemnly, snatching the roll from Naruto's lap and holding it against his chest. "I _need_ toilet paper."

Naruto fought the urge to laugh, settling for ruffling Kiba's hair instead. "They'll have whatever you need, Kiba. And if they don't, then you can just ask them for it." He smiled at the boy. "Okay?"

Kiba nodded, but the worried look remained in his eyes. "I still don't know what to pack."

"Here, Kiba, think of it this way," said Sasuke, who suddenly materialized at Naruto's side. "You can pack the stuff that is only yours, but if it's something that other people have to use, too, then you need to leave it here." Sasuke gently took the toilet paper from Kiba's hands. "This, we all have to use, too. So you have to leave the toilet paper." Then Sasuke knelt down and picked up Nar-Nar. He held it out to Kiba. "Nar-Nar is only yours, so he gets to go with you."

A look of understanding dawned on Kiba's face then. He pulled a VHS tape out of the pile and held it up to Sasuke. "So this has to stay?"

"Yep."

Kiba grinned and set it on the opposite side of the bed. "And this?" he asked, holding out a white towel.

"Yeah, that's mine," said Naruto hastily, grabbing the towel and folding it into a rectangle.

Sasuke smirked. "See, if Naruto was leaving, he would get to take the towel because only he is allowed to use it."

"Shut up, Sasuke."

Lee picked up an origami monkey off the thick carpet and walked over to Kiba. "You can take this, Kiba!"

Kiba squealed in true Kiba form, and soon the heap was being dismantled into two smaller heaps on the bed.

Naruto nudged Sasuke's calf with his hand and nodded toward the doorway, where Shikamaru still stood, his squeegee clenched in his fist at his side. Sasuke shook his head.

"He likes that thing far more than is natural."

Naruto laughed with a snort. "At least he isn't hugging it anymore."

At that point, Shikamaru swung evil eyes on the two of them and Naruto chose to become a mute.

Sasuke had always been immune to glares and the like, however. "_Why_ do you have a _squeegee?"_

Shikamaru's face actually colored slightly, much to both Sasuke and Naruto's surprise. "It was a…because I--" he spluttered, then looked pointedly at Sasuke with eyes hard once more. "You know what? I don't owe you ANY answers!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Fine, Shika. Calm down. I won't touch your _squeegee_."

"That's right you won't," Shikamaru said loudly. Sasuke's eyebrow hiked up even further.

"You're a weird guy," Naruto said, his eyes wide.

Shikamaru glowered but turned, muttering something about "face" and "weird" on his way out of Kiba's bedroom.

"Well," Naruto said abruptly with a forced sigh as he stood from the bed, "I'm going to go to my room."

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "There's nothing to do in there."

"Exactly," replied Naruto, brushing past Sasuke. "I'm safe as long as I'm in there." Sasuke wrinkled his nose in question.

"Cameras."

Comprehension dawned on Sasuke's face, and he quickly sprung into action, chasing Naruto out of the room and down the hallway.

But then his ears were filled with laughter and his vision filled with white terrycloth, and he had to stop. He heard the door slam shut ahead of him, muffling the laughter, but the corner of his mouth twitched upwards as he swiped the towel off of his head.

He shrugged his shoulders. The chase may be slow and somewhat limited, but it was better than lying on the couch doing nothing.

"I'm wiping this thing all over my face," he called to the closed door and grinned at the outraged sounds he could faintly hear seeping out from under it.

* * *

The air was tense as they sat around the room in silence. The noise of the door leading to the hall opening made Naruto jump visibly, and the others to look up at the people who entered the room. Shizune was first, followed by two others, a man and a woman. Shizune quietly shut the door behind them.

"Boys," she addressed the group. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Boyd. They're going to be Kiba's new caretakers."

Mr. Boyd was a tall, CEO-type man with salt and pepper hair that was just beginning to thin. Mrs. Boyd was petite and blonde. A large purse rested on her arm, which was wrapped around Mr. Boyd's. They were both very American and smiling pleasantly.

"Where's Kiba?" Mrs. Boyd asked. Her voice was light and fluttery.

"He's still packing," Naruto said in a muted voice.

"I'll go see how he's doing," Shizune said, excusing herself to Kiba's room.

The room filled with tension once again. The Boyd's looked around the room nervously. The situation was becoming radically uncomfortable very quickly. Mrs. Boyd's mouth opened, but she closed it again. No one spoke. Their reception was obviously not as warm as they had hoped.

The boys were standing in a semi-circle facing the couple. Naruto was leaning against the back of the couch, his eyes downcast. Sasuke stood beside Naruto, their shoulders pressed against each other's and Sasuke's hand gently playing with Naruto's limp fingers. Sasuke's tired eyes were trained on Mrs. Boyd's eyes as they flicked across the room. Lee was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his hands folded in his lap. Shikamaru watched the couple with narrowed eyes and arms folded across his chest.

The silence was becoming unbearable.

A loud beep echoed through the room, and everyone jumped. Mr. Boyd checked his cell phone, which was flashing, and excused himself to the hall to answer it. Thankfully, Shizune chose that moment to appear in Kiba's doorway.

"How's everything going?" she asked.

No one seemed keen on answering, so Shikamaru said, "Fine." His tone was harsh, almost aggressive as he stared down the defenseless Mrs. Boyd. Shizune gave him what was clearly a warning look before returning Kiba's room.

Soon after, Mr. Boyd entered the room again, depositing his phone into his suit pocket as he shut the door. He seemed to have gathered his courage in the hall as he met the boys' eyes and asked, "How about some introductions?"

Again, no one moved. Sasuke shifted his weight to his left foot. "Sasuke."

The Boyd's nodded, encouraged by the lack of hostility in his voice. They waited for someone else to speak.

"Lee…" a tiny voice sounded from the green-clad boy. His eyes were so uncharacteristically solemn that Sasuke had to look away.

"It's nice to meet you Lee," Mrs. Boyd said with a smile. His eyes stayed trained on the carpet and he didn't respond. "You must be Naruto, then," Mr. Boyd said.

Naruto's head snapped up at mention of his name. "Yeah."

Mr. Boyd stepped forward and shook Naruto's hand warmly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Naruto." He seemed sincere and Naruto gave him a small smile

Sasuke watched, his body itching with the desire to pull Naruto into a hug and drag him away from all of this. But he wouldn't. Naruto needed to be here. For Kiba, and, well, for everyone else, too. Something Naruto had said a few weeks ago drifted into his head: "Okay, so I'm the glue. I'm the one who keeps everyone happy and in line. What about when all of you leave me. What then? What the hell have I done to deserve that?".

He felt a sudden pang of guilt as he realized the truth behind what Naruto had said, and it made him want to hold Naruto even more. He settled for grabbing Naruto's hand in his.

Shizune appeared, a suitcase in hand and Kiba trailing her into the common room. But before Kiba could even glance at the boys, their demeanors had changed. Naruto straightened his posture and Lee got to his feet, both securing their usual bright smiles in place. Shikamaru let his posture slouch significantly and his hands were shoved into his pockets. Sasuke let go of Naruto's hand and called out, "Hey Kiba."

Kiba smiled at him in his usual manner as he bounced around the room. He gave Lee a hug, which Lee returned with bone-crushing fervor. Kiba let out a happy squeal when Shikamaru returned his hug with a loose arm, gently patting the boys brown hair. Sasuke gave Kiba a tight squeeze before releasing him, and then Kiba faced Naruto. Sasuke could see a miniscule bit of shine leave Kiba's eyes as he pulled Naruto in for a quick hug.

"Bye, Kiba," Naruto said, ruffling his hair affectionately.

A chorus of "good-bye"s and "take care"s sounded around the room. There was a moment of silence before Mr. Boyd took the suitcase from Shizune's hands and stepped forward.

"Ready to go, Kiba?" He beckoned for Kiba with his free hand. Kiba stepped forward with one last wave to the group.

Mrs. Boyd laid a gentle hand on Kiba's shoulder, directing him towards the door. As Kiba passed under the door frame, he halted so quickly that Shizune bumped into him from behind.

"Kiba?"

Kiba's fingers flickered out to run along the sides of the door frame slowly. His eyes were trained on the floor, and he didn't speak.

"C'mon, Kiba, its okay," Mrs. Boys encouraged, beckoning to him with her hand.

Kiba didn't respond. His fingers trailed along the grained wood and his eyes looked up at the top of the frame.

"Kiba…it's time to go," Shizune said. She knew Kiba would stand there all day if no one made him move. She nudged his shoulder gently. "Let's go."

A nearly inaudible, soft whimper escaped Kiba's lips as he stared upwards with forlorn eyes. Sasuke watched Naruto's eyes widen under knitted brows as he leaned forward slightly.

"Kiba," Mrs. Boyd called out, gently placing Kiba's hand in hers. The contact seemed to break Kiba sharply out of his reverie and he jumped with a slight gasp. He regarded her with dark, scared eyes before his head snapped around to look back into the room.

Kiba was fast. Before anyone could realize it, he had jerked from Mrs. Boyd's grasp and with a tattered sob, threw himself into Naruto's arms. He hit Naruto so hard that they both fell to the ground with a thud. They knelt, facing each other, Kiba fisting the front of Naruto's shirt as he cried into his chest. Naruto wrapped his arms around Kiba's shaking frame and held him tightly, his face burying itself into Kiba's shoulder.

"Naruto," Kiba cried softly, his mouth hanging open as tears streamed down his face.

"It's okay," Naruto whispered into his hair, rocking him back and forth.

"Naru—Nar…" Kiba couldn't form words as he sobbed mutedly, his shoulders racking.

"Kiba, it's okay," Naruto repeated, his voice cracking as he bit his lip to try and force himself to stop shaking.

They all watched in silence. Lee had turned and hid his face, silent tears running down his face. Shikamaru's head was bowed and his eyes were closed beneath tightly knitted brows. Sasuke felt tears well up as he watched Naruto valiantly fight back the tears in his own eyes as he held Kiba tightly. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd watched with torn expressions.

"Naruto, I don't wanna go…" Kiba's voice came out high and airy around his uncontrollable sobbing.

"I know, Kiba, I know," Naruto whispered. "But you have to, Kiba."

"Nooo…"

Naruto glanced up and saw Shizune giving him a weary but stern look. He pulled back from Kiba slightly, causing the boy to clutch him tighter. "Kiba, you have to." He ignored the rapid shakes of Kiba's head and continued. "Just think, Kiba," he said in a soft, sing-song voice, "you'll be able to play outside all of the time. You'll have your own dog, your own puppy."

Kiba sniffled.

"You'll get to go to school and make lots of new friends," Naruto said, his fingers weaving through Kiba's short hair. "And you'll have a mommy and a daddy--"

"I want you!" Kiba's cry came out so sharply that all those who watched jumped slightly. "I don't want them, Naruto, I don't _like _them!"

"Kiba has a plane he needs to catch." It was Shizune who spoke. Her eyes held compassion but they were somehow hardened too.

"Kiba--"

"No, no…"

"Kiba, listen to me," Naruto ordered gently. Kiba stilled and looked at him through watery eyes. "Kiba, I love you. I _love_ you. Okay? I always will. I will love you even if you're on the other side of the earth."

Kiba's lower lip trembled pathetically.

"But now…Kiba, now it's time to go." Naruto stood slowly, pulling Kiba up with him. "It's time to go," he repeated, his eyes locked with Kiba's. He pulled him close for a gentle hug. "It's going to be alright."

When they pulled back, Kiba regarded him with a hurt expression. "Okay?" Naruto asked, smoothing Kiba's hair back. "'kay…" Kiba responded almost silently.

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Mrs. Boyd held out her hand. "Kiba?"

Kiba looked solemnly at Naruto, who nodded. With a little nudge to his arm, Kiba stepped forward hesitantly. Mr. Boyd squeezed his shoulder and nodded to Shizune. And with one last look back, Kiba was led away from his family, with the comforting arms of his new parents wrapped around him.

Shizune's eyes were still hard. "We'll have group later," she said as she followed them out.

The door clicked shut with a finality that echoed through the room. Worried eyes turned to Naruto. He noticed their stares and a broken smile etched onto his face, pointedly ignoring the tear that had just spilled down his cheek. "I'm going to go rest for a while." He moved swiftly off into the direction of his room.

"Naruto, please…" Sasuke whispered, his heart aching.

Naruto turned, his smile forcing itself in place. "It's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry," he insisted, his hand trembling on the doorknob to his room.

"Don't do this Naruto, don't shut yourself out," Sasuke said in the most forceful voice he could muster.

"Its fine, Sasuke." Naruto disappeared into his room then, the door clicking shut behind him.

* * *

Although Shizune knew that the group therapy sessions had never been a favorite aspect of St. Olaf for the boys, none of them had compared to the hour they had just been forced to sit through. Shizune had been solemn, understanding that the overenthusiastic approach wouldn't work this time. She tried to get them to talk about it. She asked why they were so upset.

"Because we're a family, and our fucking kid is gone," Shikamaru had said with a set jaw as he stared at the wall.

No one spoke after that, and she quickly gave up, leaving the boys to their silence while they counted down the minutes until they could leave. She had known since she had found out that Kiba was to leave that the boys would have trouble adjusting and would probably mope for quite a few days.

This, though, this was beyond moping. This was _grieving_.

Naruto had his cheek laid against the cool plastic of the table and his eyes closed. Sasuke seemed to be watching him covertly in silence, biting his lip occasionally. Shikamaru and Lee sat on the opposite side of the table. Lee's arms were clamped around his sides in a vice-like self-hug. His eyes were dull. Shikamaru was trying to look bored by tapping his finger on the table, but she saw when he glanced at Naruto nervously and then at Lee.

She had never been in a room that was so…_heavy_.

She checked her watch and breathed a small sigh. "You boys are free to go."

She watched as the four stood slowly and began the slow procession from the room. She stood. "Sasuke, could I see you in my office for a few minutes?"

Her voice seemed to startle Sasuke and he jumped a little before responding, "Y-yeah, sure."

He followed behind her in silence, zoning out to the _click-clack_ of her heels on the linoleum. They reached her office and she motioned him in. He collapsed into the designated chair that sat opposite her desk and bit at a hangnail while she eased herself into her chair.

"Sasuke," she said pleasantly, folding her hands on her desk.

He connected his gaze with hers, letting her know that he was attentive.

"Sasuke, how are you?" she asked, her raised eyebrows conveying her interest.

He stared at her, hard. "Shitty," he deadpanned.

She just nodded a little and kept watching him. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. What else did she want to hear?

"Other than Kiba, how are things?" she asked softly.

A little gust of air escaped from between his lips as he scoured his mind in an attempt to remember any day before this one. He struggled to get his mind on any other emotion besides the burning grief. "Uhh…" He thought of Naruto, and he felt his heart beat painfully in his chest. "Good, I guess."

Again, she said nothing, only watched him as his eyes skirted around the room, trying to avoid her prying gaze. It took several minutes for her to speak again.

"How are your moods?"

"My…moods?"

"How have you been feeling—any sudden bursts of anger or sadness?" she asked, leaning forward over her desk.

"No," Sasuke answered, leaning back in his chair as she leaned toward him. "It's been pretty level."

"That's good." She said it in a condescending tone, and Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. He needed to get back to Naruto. "When was your last incident? Was it the one with Kiba and the teddy bear?"

_Way to make the whole thing sound retarded_, Sasuke thought to himself. "Yeah, that was the last one." Come to think of it, he hadn't had any sort of hallucinations in what seemed like ages.

Shizune wrote something on a pad on her desk before asking, "And your dreams, how are they?"

The close scrutiny was making Sasuke increasingly uncomfortable and he shifted in his chair again. "Well, I haven't had a nightmare in a while, I guess…now they're mostly just kind of random—you know, normal dreams."

Shizune nodded. "Any dreams that have stuck out to you as important?"

He explained as briefly as he could his recent dream involving his family and their picnic. She seemed pleased with this answer and wrote more down on her tablet. Sasuke bit at a new hangnail.

Shizune let out a sigh then, breath escaping her in a long _whoosh._ She raised her eyes to lock eyes with Sasuke's, but she didn't speak. She seemed to be analyzing. Sasuke cringed as the hangnail tore off and he rubbed his thumb against his pants while staring at the carpet.

"Sasuke, there's something I need to tell you."

…_shit…_

She paused again, then. _Why the hell can't she finish a damn thought today?_

She began again. "You've been here for, what, about two and a half months?"

This startled Sasuke. Had it only been that long? It seemed like ages ago since he had first met the boys. And all of that stuff that had happened…two months? Naruto's attacks, Neji leaving, Shikamaru's freak out…all of that in two months?

He had fallen for with Naruto in just two months.

Shizune watched as he visibly reminisced over his time spent at St. Olaf. "Sasuke," she called, shaking him out of his thoughts. Now was not a good time for…

She got silent again, and Sasuke had to fight the urge to throw something at her. "Yes?

She sighed and said in a low voice, "I hate to say it, but I think that your time at St. Olaf is coming to an end."

The simple utterance of those words made Sasuke's heart fall through his stomach. "No." He could barely hear his own words; the sudden buzzing inside his head was so loud.

She sat quietly, allowing his frayed mind to catch up with what she had said.

"No. No, no, no." The words were tumbling out of his mouth like a mantra, and he didn't even know what he was saying. His hands gripped the arms of the chair that he sat on.

_Denial_, Shizune noted silently.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"NO!" Sasuke stood up so quickly that his chair almost overturned. He was leaning over her desk before he could stop himself. "I am not leaving. You cannot make me leave. This is my _home._ You can't kick me out of my fucking home!"

_Anger._

She stared into his burning eyes with her own calm ones. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. This is the way it has to be."

Sasuke's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he tried to come up with something to say besides "no". She nodded to the chair and he sat numbly. "I can't go, Shizune, you don't understand."

Shizune let his rambling continue for several minutes before he slowed down and then finally stopped, taking a deep breath. "No, Shizune."

"It's not up for debate, Sasuke," she said patiently.

"This is not happening to me…" Sasuke cried as he held his head in his hands.

He stayed quiet, so she took that as a cue to continue. "We've been doing extensive tests on you, Sasuke. All of the doctors agree that you're ready to go home."

_This is home_, she could read in his eyes as he looked up slowly at her.

"This is a treatment facility. Your symptoms have been alleviated, so there is no reason to hold you any longer."

"You're not _holding_ me, I _want_ to be here," Sasuke said lowly. "So, fine, I'm cured. Me staying here isn't hurting anyone."

"Sasuke, there is a two year long waiting list to get into St. Olaf We can't afford to keep people around just because they've made some friends. You're lucky your uncle is such a powerful man, or you would be at the end of that waiting list, just like everyone else."

"Shizune, I can't…everything I have is here. Everything."

"It'll be hard, I know it will," Shizune consoled. "But you will get through this. All of you will."

"Please, just let me stay." Sasuke felt pathetic right then as he begged, but he couldn't stop. "Just let me stay for a few more months."

_Bargaining._

"Sasuke, stop. It's not just about the waiting list. This environment of tests and doctors in unhealthy for you. You need to get back to a life with some sense of normalcy. You're at a very tender age…" She stopped when she realized that Sasuke wasn't listening to her.

He cradled his head in his hands, not speaking, not moving. "I…I can't do this," he spoke at last. "And with Kiba leaving…can't it wait?"

Shizune saw that he was genuinely concerned for the well-being of his roommates, not only asking for selfish reasons. "We've all thought about it, the doctors and I. We've decided that top priority is to get you to a healthy environment. The boys are used to their roommates switching out."

"You saw what Kiba leaving did to them."

Shizune sighed with a small smile. "No offence, Sasuke, but Kiba had been here for years before you arrived. I understand that you're close; trust me, I've seen it. And I'm not telling you to just forget them, just that it's time to move on."

Sasuke sank back in his chair, defeated.

"Your departure is scheduled for Thursday afternoon--"

"Shizune, that is five days from now." Sasuke's voice was weak and his mouth hung open slightly with disbelief. "You're giving me five days?"

"We can't give you any longer than that. There are so many new patients looking for a spot…" She saw Sasuke's shoulders slump.

They sat in a draining silence for a few moments before Sasuke spoke quietly. "Can I please go back now?"

Shizune stood. "Sure. Can you get back alright?"

He stood and moved to the door. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I can tell Naruto, if you want me to."

"No, it's fine. I'll do it." He strode out of her office then, his hands jammed in his pockets. She shut the door.

_And depression…_

Sasuke had just neatly cycled through the five stages of grieving in under ten minutes. These next few days would be a whirlwind for him, but he didn't have a choice—none of them did.

She rubbed her temples as she slumped into her chair and scooted up to her computer to check her email.

* * *

Sasuke felt like he was going to throw up as he stood outside the door to the common room. His mind was racing and his hand shook on the door frame. His life had come to a screeching halt, and he was still trying to pick up the pieces.

He knocked twice.

The door swung open a few seconds later, revealing a very irate looking Shikamaru. Sasuke gave Shikamaru a wide berth as he entered and he made a beeline to his room, hoping to get there without interference.

He jumped when Naruto appeared before him. He looked sad; his eyes still dull from the day's stress. Naruto's arms wrapped around Sasuke and slipped his handseasily into Sasuke's back pockets, pulling them close together. Naruto let out a sigh into Sasuke's shoulder and Sasuke let his chin rest atop blonde hair.

Naruto looked up with solemn eyes and whispered, "Everything will be okay, right?"

Sasuke felt his heart rip in two as he closed his eyes and held Naruto close.

"Yeah, things'll be fine."

* * *

**Okay, mirandler and I know…we're bad people. We take four months to update and then the chapter isn't even that long. Oh well. I think you guys should be over the ridiculous waits by now, eh:D I really want to thank all the reviewers from last chapter, you guys are fantastic. Thanks for the continued support. And to all those who left us nice reviews, disregard the rant below.**

**I must say, I was upset by the response of some of the reviews last chapter. I understand that our choice to make Naruto top in the first lemon was a surprise, but we figured it necessary, considering Naruto's leg condition. I understand completely that NaruSasu is not everyone's cup of tea. Which is why, if you responded with a polite review saying how you were disappointed with the sudden turn in events, I was fine with it. People have different opinions. However, there were some people who were _extremely_ rude. Like this review from Aakane:**

**man! I had liked this story and waited for ever so you could update and you come up with NARUsasu I HATE THAT PARING! I SWEAR TO GOD I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SASUnaru!MAN I'M GONNA GO KILLMYSELF.I'm sorry I thought it was sasunaru...sigh..it was all bull...**

**ExCUSE me? I am sorry for disappointing you, but those are no grounds for calling my entire story bullshit. This review really offended me, and actually put me off of writing for while. I'm all for you sharing your polite opinion with me, but if you're going to be a snot? Please keep it to yourself.**

**Okay, I'm done. I got several reviews that were very nice, from readers like BIGfan and Endless Rain. I love you all, I do. :D and just as an fyi…Sasuke WILL be topping next time. )**

**Laters.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: This story is being co-written by mirandler43 of We do not own Naruto, nor do we intend to profit financially from this story.**

In the days since Kiba's departure, the wing had grown quiet and solemn. The nurses had made their rounds a bit slower, group had met twice as often, the boys' meds had been temporarily upped.

Lee was faring better than expected, much to everyone's surprise. He was the quickest to transition to the eerie silence and calm of the once-bustling common room. Shikamaru was dealing in his usual way: ignoring it. He put his head down and continued with his daily activities, shaking off comforting touches and cajoling tones, telling people to stop treating him like an infant. He and Lee mingled enough to keep each other occupied and were generally handling the change well.

As was to be expected, Naruto was hit hard. He generally stayed put: in his room, sitting at the table, watching television. He didn't move much, didn't say much. When he did move, he just shuffled around the common room slowly, eyes focusing on nothing in particular. Everyone managed to avoid asking if he was alright since Lee had asked him about six hours after Kiba had left—Naruto had looked up and smiled sadly; then, not saying a word, he'dwalked away. They all practiced giving him a pretty wide berth, not wanting to make his grief any more intense. The first two nights after Kiba had left, soft crying could be heard coming from beneath Naruto's padded door.

Sasuke watched all of this unfold in an awkward limbo between panic and utter detachment. On one hand, he was leaving. What was the sense in getting all worked up over something that would just be a distant memory in a matter of weeks? Yet, on the other hand...

...he was leaving. Leaving the best friends he had ever known, the most secure home he had seen since his parents' deaths. It came down to whether he wanted to leave quietly or be dragged out kicking and screaming. Neither option was the least bit appealing.

Sasuke quit trying to watch whatever VH1 show it was that Lee had picked out this time; instead, drawing a foot up off the floor and curling it underneath himself, he watched Naruto. Naruto was decidedly unaware of anything around him, staring at the television screen blankly. Sasuke frowned and idly rubbed a spot under his ribcage with his fore and middle fingers. He wondered if he could ask a nurse for a Tums, or something. All of this not telling people things was definitely getting to his digestive system.

Naruto stayed still on his side of the couch, eyes never leaving the screen and face never making any sign of recognition, not of the program or of Sasuke's glances. Sasuke was caught between wanting Naruto to wake the hell up so he could tell him and get all of this over with, and wanting Naruto to stay just like he was. And wanting either of those things made Sasuke feel like he was the smallest person in the world.

Sasuke didn't look up when he heard the door to the wing open and close quietly; nurses coming and going weren't an altogether uncommon occurance. But Shikamaru's bland " 'sup Shizune" carrying from where he was sitting at the table was enough to bring him to full alertness.

He watched uneasily as Shizune talked to Shikamaru, her voice barely audible across the room and Shikamaru's dropping in suit. Sasuke's whole body froze in tension, especially whenever he happened to catch Shikamaru glancing around the room while they talked. It felt like he was staring right at him. Sasuke exhaled shallowly and thanked his stars that Naruto was still barely aware of his surroundings, much less Sasuke and the changes in his idiosyncrasies.

Finally Shikamaru stood up and walked over to the couch. He plopped down next to Lee, grabbed the remote and waved absently in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke's eyebrows drew together in confusion and he didn't move until Shikamaru looked at him in exasperation and pointed at him, then Shizune emphatically.

Why he couldn't just talk, Sasuke would never completely get. Bastard. Sasuke rolled his eyes but got up from the couch without saying a word, careful not to disturb the faux peace in the room with his movements. Maybe Naruto wouldn't even notice Shizune was in the room.

He was totally in denial. Because those death vibes rolling off Shizune in waves were practically palpable.

Shizune called his name like she couldn't see him walking toward her.

"What?" he asked as graciously as he could manage at the moment, stopping a few feet away.

She turned and started walking slowly back toward the door. "I need to speak with you."

Somehow Sasuke knew what was coming; even if Shizune's tone hid her intentions, her eyes certainly did not. Reluctantly, he followed her to the door, expecting to follow her out into the hallway, but instead she turned sharply on her heel to face him.

Now the strange combination of anger, irritation and impatience filled more than her eyes. Sasuke tried very hard not to look directly into them.

"Why haven't you told him?"

Sasuke did look up then. Quickly. Then around the room, even faster. "Why are we talking about his _here_?!"

Shizune glared. "Why haven't you told him?"

Sasuke adopted a defensive stance only a fourteen-year-old could assume would work as an adequate bluff. "What makes you think I haven't?"

"I'm going to tell him." With that, Shizune moved past him, stalking back into the common room towards Naruto and Lee.

Sasuke's eyes shot wide and he reached out and grabbed her arm in an effort to stop her, but of course, she _would_ shake him off.

"You should have told him, Sasuke. You had more than a fair chance."

Sasuke watched, horror rising higher in his throat as Shizune neared the couch until a weird, somewhat strangled sound of dismay surfaced.

She didn't stop.

_Bitch! _All Sasuke could wrap his head around was that she of all people should have been able to recognize what a sign of progress that sound was.

Shizune reached the arm of the couch.

"Shizune, no, wait!" Sasuke hissed as his body finally sprang into action and hurtled toward her until she was within reach. Taking hold of her arm quickly, he managed to drag her back until they reached the table and she decided to dig her heels in.

Sasuke glanced nervously at the couch's occupants, then back at her. "I'll tell him," he whispered as covertly as he could. Shizune raised an eyebrow without making any sign of acquiescence, much to Sasuke's unease. He could quite easily see her stalking over and blurting out everything in Naruto's confused, unexpecting face.

"When?" Shizune's voice snapped Sasuke's gaze back to her face. "When will you tell him, Sasuke? Because it seems to me that you've had plenty of chances--"

"Tonight, I'll tell him tonight," Sasuke replied quickly in a hushed tone. Shizune made no move for several seconds, staring at Sasuke in that blank, seeing way that he'd always hated. He finally rolled his eyes.

Shizune pulled her arm free and started towards the door. Sasuke let out a relieved sigh and followed. She looked at him reproachfully.

"Why haven't you told him, Sasuke?"

"I'll tell him tonight," Sasuke said in a forced tone.

"Yeah, you will. Because if you don't, _I'm_ telling him first thing in the morning. And it will _not_ be fun," said Shizune as she opened the door.

"Got it."

Shizune looked at him then, holding the door open but not moving through it. "Don't be flippant about this, Sasuke," she said sternly. "The only reason I gave you the opportunity to tell him yourself was because I thought you could handle it, and because he might take the news better coming from you. Now," she laughed sardonically, "now there's no way that this can end well."

Sasuke looked her in the eye. "I'll tell him tonight."

Shizune looked back at him, equally serious. "Don't disappoint me, Sasuke," she said, then turned and left.

Sasuke swallowed at the closed door before looking back over his shoulder at Naruto and Lee who were, God bless them, completely oblivious.

Shikamaru, though, was looking a little enlightened. Sasuke really wasn't excited about that. At all. But he squared his shoulders as best he could and headed back over to the couch anyway.

Naruto was still fairly comatose, but Sasuke could handle that. Actually, he preferred that, and if he could just stay that way all through the news Sasuke needed to deliver, that would be _great._

Shikamaru was still looking at him. It was unnerving, really, how the guy could always see two steps ahead of the here and now.

* * *

Shikamaru had no idea what the hell was going on with the kid sitting across the table from him. He watched Sasuke grimace slightly as he rubbed his side. 

Had no idea.

"What's the deal?"

Sasuke looked at him. "Your deal."

"No, _dumbass,__what's_ your deal."

Sasuke just shrugged and reached for the cards Shikamaru was pushing his way.

Shikamaru glanced shrewdly at him once more before following suit, taking up his own cards and organizing them in numerical order by suit. Eight spades and three various reds. Looked like he was going for the straight. He discarded one of the reds and motioned for Sasuke to draw. Sasuke grabbed a card and quickly tossed it back on top of Shikamaru's old card on the table. The play continued in silence for a few more draws until Sasuke's movements briefly stuttered as he discarded a low spade and glanced back up at Shikamaru, eyes narrowed inquisitively.

"What do you think you know?" he asked as Shikamaru reached forward for his card.

Shikamaru looked back at him coolly. "I think that you aren't helping Naruto at all with your stupid stand-off crap," he replied and discarded another useless red. Sasuke frowned.

"You know what I'm talking about," Shikamaru continued, watching Sasuke draw a new card across the table, waiting for some visual clue that he was on the right track. Because otherwise he was just making a stuttering fool out of himself. "Naruto's all torn up over Kiba, and you're suddenly staying as far away from him as you can."

Sasuke continued to frown but discarded another spade, giving Shikamaru all the clue he needed.

"And," Shikamaru smirked as he plucked the card off of the discard pile, "I think that Shizune was getting tired of you acting like a complete asshole and told you to suck it up and..." Shikamaru glanced away, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "Although I don't know why she could get mad at you for, what, not making her job easier?"

Sasuke was the one smirking now, at least until Shikamaru laid down his hand and blandly declared "Gin!".

"…how…?"

Shikamaru grabbed up the discard and clean piles of cards with his own and began to shuffle them together.

"Did you cheat?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"I don't cheat," Shikamaru replied, his voice distracted as he aligned the cards in his hands. "I'm awesome."

"Whatever. Deal."

"Hold your horses, sunshine," Shikamaru started with a wry smile but stopped short at the combination of the noise of a bedroom door opening and the sight Sasuke's body suddenly going completely taut.

Interesting. But not new.

Naruto walked towards them, rather bouncy, considering what his state had been earlier. Shikamaru watched with mounting amusement as Sasuke's jaw tensed and his eyes dropped stonily to his cards.

Yeah, something was definitely up. That, or Sasuke was just a _really_ frigid lover.

Naruto walked over to the table behind Sasuke and peered over his shoulder. "Whatcha playing?"

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Gin."

"Oh," Naruto said in the brightest tone Shikamaru had heard from him in at least a week. He leaned over Sasuke's shoulder and looked at his cards with a hint of a smile. "Who's winning?"

"Me," Shikamaru interjected quickly, tossing cards casually back and forth between himself and Sasuke on the table.

"One game," Sasuke muttered, his jaw still visibly clenched.

"We doing best of three?"

"Absolutely."

Shikamaru smirked, amused. "Game on."

"Okay, I'm going to the bathroom," Naruto announced, briefly resting his chin on Sasuke's shoulder before standing up and walking away. Shikamaru didn't bother to pretend he wasn't watching when Sasuke sighed at the audibly _click_ of the bathroom door. And Sasuke knew, of course. Why else were his eyes so steadfastly averted?

"Losers first, Sasuke."

Sasuke did glare at him then. But it was more of a weary glare than a heated one, Shikamaru painfully noted, and the momentary eye contact was dropped quickly in favor of drawing the first card.

Shikamaru canted his head to the side inquisitively as he watched Sasuke discard a low black. Reaching forward, he took a card from the clean pile. "What's the deal, Sasuke?" he repeated.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "Shika," he said lowly, then sighed. "Just let it be."

The bathroom door opened and Naruto's short blond head popped out of the bathroom. Predictably, Sasuke stopped all movement, except to open his eyes and stare meaninglessly at his cards, and Shikamaru shook his head subtly. "Don't think I can," he said quietly as Naruto made his way back to the table. Sasuke looked at him, a glare backed by a hint of subdued panic, and Shikamaru looked back, mind frustratingly sluggish at making the connection between Naruto's presence and Sasuke's apparent distress.

Meanwhile, Naruto was sitting down across from him and grinning expectantly in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke was once more Sasuke the Statue. Both were disconcertingly out of place.

"How's it going?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru shrugged and discarded.

"How many games do you have left?"

"Two," Sasuke replied, his voice slightly higher in pitch than normal, ironically tense from trying not to sound tense. Shikamaru watched the pair closely as Sasuke drew a new card: Naruto was bent from the waist, leaning down over Sasuke with a hand on one of Sasuke's shoulders and his head hovering over Sasuke's other, looking at Sasuke's hand pleasantly. Sasuke was uncharacteristically edgy, though, and that of course was where Shikamaru's attention lingered, for while he knew Sasuke to be…rather blank, he was not tense, especially if Naruto was within touching distance. Sasuke was holding still, as if he was holding his breath, not looking at Naruto or Shikamaru, like he was afraid something would happen if he instigated anything.

Or come undone.

Suddenly images of moments past and broken remembrances were flashing through his mind but not connecting with theories; Shikamaru shook his head, but still nothing was quite making sense. At least, nothing concrete. The only common thread he could find was Sasuke's insistent silence when Naruto was around.

And then he was snapping back to awareness, Sasuke's hardened gaze crashing into him harshly. He was aware of Naruto looking at him and Sasuke alternately, confusion blooming lightly on his face; he was aware of Sasuke's subconscious refusal to figuratively push Naruto in any direction with any kind of stimulus, be it touch or spoken word. He was all at once vividly aware of the sudden standstill in their relationship.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, looking away from Shikamaru and at the blond instead, and for a moment everything looked like it had a week ago. He smiled. "We're almost done playing. I'll meet you in my room in a little bit, okay?"

Naruto beamed and nodded. "Whenever you're ready." He stood with a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, then left them. Shikamaru waited until he heard the door close before he broke his silence with an internal cough. Sasuke looked at him again, but this time it was an expression of resignation that faced Shikamaru.

"You don't want it to change," Shikamaru blurted out, preferring to dive right in than to play the inevitable games that would ensue if he didn't. Sasuke frowned in question. "His...mood, or whatever. His mindset."

"You think I want him to stay depressed?"

"No, I think you don't want his depression to increase or decrease," Shikamaru returned evenly. "Clearly, you don't. You barely even look at him."

"What are you saying, Shika?" Sasuke asked irritably.

"I'm saying, you..." Shikamaru looked at the tabletop absently, trying to piece it all together. "I'm saying there's something up, and you don't want to deal with it. You don't want to deal with Naruto dealing with it." He glanced up at Sasuke. "Yeah?"

Sasuke sighed. "What do you know, Shikamaru?"

"I don't know anything," Shikamaru replied with a humorless laugh. "I _wish_ I knew something. I wish you would just fucking come out with it and quit this."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows with a nod, but didn't say anything.

"Question is, why won't you tell Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, somewhat absentmindedly.

Sasuke looked away, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on top of his knees, chin settling atop closed fists. Shikamaru watched him, his mind still rapidly shooting ideas at each other. Aim, fire...and all he had to show for it was a hole to the left of the bullseye.

"This is retarded, Sasuke," he finally said roughly.

Sasuke glared, irritation growing more and more evident in his posture. "I don't owe you anything, Shika."

"I think you do, considering you're fucking up the lovely dynamic we've got going here."

Sasuke laughed. "Oh, you don't even know."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and sat upright in his chair. "I'm sorry, are you about to tell me something important? Should I be listening super hard? Are you going to _grace_ me with an actual answer?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair indolently. "Grow up, Sasuke. We have enough problems because of Kiba. We don't need to deal with your shit, too."

"Well," Sasuke said abruptly, standing up and pushing his chair up to the table before leveling his gaze on Shikamaru, "you won't have to _deal_ much longer."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, then widened, his jaw going slack. Sasuke rolled his eyes again and, turning, walked towards his bedroom door.

"_What?_"

"You're a smart kid, Shika," Sasuke said without turning his head, path undeterred. "You'll figure it out eventually." And with that he twisted the doorknob loudly and let himself into his room.

* * *

Naruto sat cross legged on Sasuke's bed, running his fingers idly over the thin, aged blanket. He'd barely seen Sasuke all day, and Kiba's departure had forced his hormones into a "oh-my-god-let's-bone-now" setting. 

He just wanted Sasuke to help him through this time, but he had become reclusive within recent days. Naruto had originally chalked it up to grief over Kiba's absence; now Naruto wasn't so sure. The previous three days had been hard, but Naruto had finally retired the sweats and resumed everyday activities. But Sasuke was still distant, despite him being around Naruto nearly all of the time.

Naruto waited in his room, to ambush him. Sasuke's sour mood was doing nothing to improve his own, and if he had to persuade Sasuke into a good mood, he was more than willing to. He grinned as he heard footsteps approaching the door. That would be Sasuke.

A few moments later, the door opened and Sauske stepped in, closing the door behind him, leaning against it. When he saw Naruto, his eyes darted down, as if trying to figure his chances of escaping without being grabbed. He groaned internally when Naruto got to his feet and placed a tentative hand on Sasuke's tense shoulder.

Sasuke brushed it off, moving towards his bed and collapsing on it. Naruto followed him, seemingly not deterred. He ran a hand lightly down Sasuke's front, watching his guarded face carefully. Sasuke avoided his gaze, pointedly staring at the ceiling above instead of Naruto's expectant eyes. Naruto let his hand follow the slight trail of hair down from Sasuke's naval to his pants, pushing up Sasuke's shirt as he did. When they slipped below the elastic of Sasuke's boxers, Sasuke shoved the hand away, rolling on his side and mumbling for Naruto to leave him alone.

Naruto sat up, frowning, and crossed his arms and legs.

"What exactly is your problem?" he asked Sasuke's back, annoyed. "You've been like this for days."

Sasuke bit his lip, trying to figure out a way to tell Naruto tactfully, but Naruto wasn't giving him a chance to think.

Naruto poked Sasuke's shoulder with a toe. "Seriously, Sasuke."

"Seriously, Naruto. Just shut up for a while."

Naruto stared at Sasuke's rumpled hair quietly for a few moments, and for a second, Sasuke thought that Naruto was going to give him the proper time to decide what to say. He shouldn't have been so foolish.

The longer Naruto stewed over Sasuke's words, the angrier he became. He was dealing with one of the most painful separations of his life, yet his best friend was being self-involved, selfish and grouchy.

"What is with you?" he demanded.

Sasuke groaned and shoved his face into a pillow, his thoughts clogging in his mind, jumbling over each other. _Naruto, I'm leaving_ seemed to have a tough time being put into sequence in his head. He told Naruto to leave him alone for just a second, but it came out muffled.

"What?" Naruto asked, poking him between the shoulder blades sharply.

The fragile sense of calm that Sasuke had been clinging to suddenly snapped. His body jerked into an upright position and he swiveled to face Naruto, his face burning, his mouth opening to finally spill the beans.

Naruto jumped at his reaction and was apparently offended by it. "What? What?!" he yelled. "Did I piss you off? Sorry! I guess I've just been a little down lately, and I just maybe hoped that my friend would be there to maybe offer a little comfort. But, I suppose that is a bit much to as from someone that I have had _sex_ with!"

"Naruto--" Sauske warned, sitting up and squaring his shoulders to Naruto, his anger beginning to mount. But Naruto was on a roll.

"What? What is it that made Prince Sasuke upset? What could it be? Was it me? Were you mad that I haven't been accessible every goddamn moment the last few days? Well, I'm truly sorry, Sasuke, that my fucking _friend_ just left and that I'm not having an Uchiha-patented robot reaction--"

Well, Sasuke had just about had enough of this. "I'm leaving, Naruto," he said as calmly as he could, his jaw clenched.

Naruto froze as if Sasuke had slapped him across the face. "What?" he asked lowly after a pause.

Sasuke let out a breath. "You heard me."

Naruto stammered, his face broken. "But…what? Since when? Why?"

Sasuke stared at the blanket. "Shizune told me three days ago."

Naruto stared at him, mouth a tight line. "What?"

"Do I fucking stutter?" Sasuke muttered, shooting Naruto an annoyed gaze. He had just been interrogated by Shikamaru, and he didn't need this right now. "She said that I was better and that they needed to clear more room for other patients."

"You've known for three days?" Sasuke nodded. "And you were planning on telling me…when?" Naruto demanded, his voice beginning to rise again.

"Uh, pardon me," Sasuke growled. " I was facing a bit of a dilemma."

"What the hell dilemma is there? You find out and you tell me, we figure out what to do. I fail to see the problem there!"

"Yeah," Sasuke spat. He wished that it wasn't going down this way, but when it rains, it pours, and his emotions were on a rampage. "Sorry for trying to look out for you. I thought starting the separation now instead of earlier would make it easier for us both."

Naruto dead-panned. "That might just be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Sasuke could feel his hands shaking. Feelings that had been repressed for days were boiling to the surface and he seemed powerless to rein them in. "Fuck you, Naruto."

Then Naruto was on him, throwing his body atop Sasuke's, forcing them to fall back on the bed. Naruto gripped Sasuke's hair painfully tight as he kissed him hard, their teeth mashing together as Sasuke bucked against him, trying to throw him off.

Sasuke's legs finally found purchase and he shoved Naruto away, shoving his tongue into Naruto's mouth as they toppled over. The fall jarred Naruto and his teeth snapped down accidentally on Sasuke's tongue. Sasuke hissed in pain and frustration and slammed his fist into the mattress beside Naruto's head. Blood pooled in their mouths, but all Sasuke knew was that he was harder than he had ever been and that he just wanted Naruto to _understand._

Naruto moved to Sasuke's neck and bit hard while Sasuke's hands fumbled with and jerked down Naruto's pants. Sasuke spat into his palm and then grabbed Naruto's half hard dick, palming it firmly. Naruto moaned breathily, his hips jerking into Sasuke's hand of their own accord. He _wanted_ to be mad at Sasuke; he _wanted_ to hate him, if just for a while. But this was the closest Naruto had been to Sasuke in days, and damn if it didn't feel amazing.

Naruto's hands gripped hard and scratched at Sasuke's shoulders as Sasuke buried his face into the junction of Naruto's neck and shoulder and jerked him off with slow, long flicks of his wrist. Naruto was making angry noises into Sasuke's skin, wanting Sasuke to _get the hell__off_, but knowing that if Sasuke stopped, he'd be infuriated. He didn't know what he wanted, but Sasuke was pushing all the right buttons and was teasing and rough and Naruto bit his lips so hard that he bled as he came, a strangled moan choking out of him.

He thought they were done then, that Sasuke would roll off and go jerk off alone, but Sasuke's forearm forced Naruto's body back onto the mattress and his fingers quickly pulled down his own boxers. Naruto shouted obscenities at Sasuke, telling him to stop, to _get the fuck off of me!_ but his hands were on Sasuke's dick and pulling in steady strokes, and he could feel himself getting hard again. His head was spinning and he wasn't thinking straight, not even close, but what Sasuke was doing felt good (_great_), and he didn't have the strength to say no.

Sasuke came quickly in Naruto's hand, his head falling to his chest as he did, sharp breathes escaping his heaving chest. Sasuke stared down at Naruto, his face red with anger and exertion, to see what Naruto would do.

Naruto was looking up at him contemptuously, and it was odd to see Naruto's face in that shape; Sasuke wasn't used to seeing Naruto mad and noticed that seeing Naruto upset made him feel a little sick, and made a mental note to never do it again. That didn't erase their current situation, however, or the choice words Naruto had used on him. He felt his blood pressure rise a little. Naruto was hurt, but he was being a dick, and didn't he realize how hard this was on Sasuke? Did he even care? Sasuke bit his lip as Naruto palmed his own dick again, rubbing it slowly back to hardness and throwing their bottle of lube into Sasuke's lap.

Sasuke snorted under his breath and pushed Naruto back again, forcing him flat on the mattress. "Don't fucking move, asshole," he growled, his eyebrows furrowed as he squeezed the cool substance onto his fingers.

"Fuck you, Sasuke," Naruto hissed back, his head tossing back to the pillow when Sasuke pushed a hasty finger inside, squirming from the cold.

Sasuke got some grim satisfaction out of that and pushed his slippery index forwards and back, crooking it and snorting when Naruto bit his lip to stifle a started gasp of ecstasy. Sasuke removed his hand and rubbed his fingers together before inserting his middle finger to the first knuckle, alongside his first finger. Now his fingers met resistance, and Naruto's head jerked up to stare at Sasuke with a pained expression as Sasuke slowly worked the digits in, scissoring lightly and gently rocking them back and forth.

Naruto thudded his head back. Sasuke was refusing to meet his gaze--still pissed, but not willing to hurt Naruto. Naruto was actually a little surprised but really only a little grateful. Sasuke was treating him like glass. Naruto reached down between his legs and shoved Sasuke's palm, so his fingers slid quickly in, hissing in pain and clenching his eyes shut.

Sasuke muttered something that sounded like "Don't be fucking stupid" as he gently fucked Naruto on his two fingers, adding more lube when he could feel skin-to-skin contact. He was pissed, sure, but that didn't mean he wanted to hurt Naruto.

The added lube helped his fingers slip in and out, but Sasuke was still slow, stretching his fingers just a bit more time with each entry. Naruto was squirming under him, trying to hide his nerves and discomfort. Sasuke leaned down and gave a gentle suck on the head of Naruto's leaking cock and Naruto moaned throatily, his head shoving to the side and hips jutting out.

Sasuke bit his lip, shifting his body weight as he gently prodded with a third finger. He barely pushed it in past the tip when Naruto's body tensed so hard that Sasuke's fingers actually hurt.

"Naruto," he said lowly. "Naruto, you've got to relax."

Naruto forced an eye open and stared at Sasuke for a moment, before taking a deep, shaky breath. The sudden level of trust there made a snap of pain jolt through Sasuke's chest; Sasuke could feel much of the tension flow out of him, and he gently inserted his third finger, squeezing more lube on as he did.

"That's it," Sasuke said. Seeing Naruto scared had drained the fight out of him, and seeing the way that Naruto's hands were clutching desperately at his thighs, he figured that Naruto was in the same boat. His fingers worked slowly in, three an incredibly tight fit as he gently rocked them in and out. Naruto was breathing through his nose, forcing his eyes to be open as he watched Sasuke silently. The pain was receding quite a bit if he tried to ignore it.

Two minutes later, Sasuke was still trying to convince Naruto's body that this was a good idea; fighting beforehand and getting Naruto so goddamn _tense_ was probably not the best plan. Naruto wasn't even hard anymore, and Sasuke was fighting to keep himself excited, and this was not the way he had pictured it going.

His fingers finally felt no resistance as they fucked Naruto, his body stretched so slowly and carefully that Naruto could probably take a dick much bigger than Sasuke's and not feel any discomfort. But now Naruto looked lost in deep thought, and Sasuke was fighting to keep nostalgic thoughts at bay. He pulled his fingers out slowly.

"Naruto…" he struggled, suddenly not wanting to look Naruto in the eye. "Naruto, do you even want to do this?"

That jerked Naruto back to reality. He stared at Sasuke for a long moment before he nodded. "Yeah, c'mon." He didn't have to say it: _This is probably our last chance._

Naruto shifted his body so he sat up, and he looked Sasuke deep in the eye. Sasuke looked down and away until he felt a finger underneath his chin, lifting, and then Naruto was kissing him, a bit too hard and with a little too much teeth, but he wasn't in a position to complain as he groaned and moved his mouth against Naruto's. Naruto sat up and his hand reached out and grabbed the back of Sasuke's head, fingers threading through black hair as he pulled, his tongue stroking Sasuke's eagerly into his mouth.

Sasuke felt something rumble in his chest and he bit Naruto's lip hard, satisfied when Naruto hissed and gripped his hair painfully tight. Naruto pulled them apart, his hand rigid on Sasuke's skull as he held his face back and he gave Sasuke a calculating look, eyes dark, trying to decipher something unknown. Sasuke tolerated it for a moment but he growled and jerked his right hand out, jarring and loosening Naruto's grip on his hair. He surged forward, taking Naruto's face in his hands and kissing him fiercely, their teeth colliding and noses mashing together as his tongue forced its way past Naruto's parted lips, moaning when he felt Naruto's body arch against his, feeling Naruto's half hard dick pressing against his stomach.

He reached down and gripped Naruto tightly, fisting him with a few slow flicks of his wrist. Naruto was hard instantly, moaning shamelessly into Sasuke's shoulder as his body jerked against Sasuke's.

"C'mon, Sasuke, c'mon," Naruto groaned in his ear, licking and biting at Sasuke's pale shoulder, turning the white skin pink.

Sasuke shoved Naruto on his back roughly, his body following Naruto's as they fell, Sasuke's body covering Naruto's completely. Sasuke's hand jerked Naruto's length slowly when he felt a bottle jammed between his and Naruto's stomach: Naruto shoving the lube into his hands. Sasuke's nerves were on fire as he pushed back and dropped his hand, stroking himself a few times, and biting his lip to stay silent before he squeezed the remainder of the bottle onto his hand and worked it on his length.

He leaned forward and covered Naruto again, his breath fast, staring down at Naruto's flushed face as he lined himself up with Naruto.

As soon as he slowly pushed through Naruto's initial barrier of muscle, though, the atmosphere changed dramatically. Sasuke slid in with a practiced smoothness, allowing Naruto's body to drink him up until he was fully seated within Naruto, his eyes locked on the blue ones below him.

Naruto let out a few slow breaths, staring Sasuke evenly in the eye when his hands reached out and gripped Sasuke's hips. Sasuke barely had time to register what was happening before Naruto's hands pulled on his hips sharply, pulling Sasuke deeper inside of Naruto and Sasuke moaned in surprise.

"C'mon, Sasuke," Naruto said again, breathlessly. Sasuke nodded.

Things were suddenly slow, like their first time almost, except without the hormonal urgency. Now they tasted and touched, knowing that they might not get another chance. He let his tongue trace lazy circles down Naruto's tanned abdomen, reveling in the slight tremors of Naruto's muscles as he nibbled gently.

Sasuke noted with remorse how well his and Naruto's bodies fit atop each other's, like a glove fits a hand, with every groove and curve falling into place. Sasuke continued to gently thrust in and out of Naruto, forcing himself to look away from Naruto's face. Sasuke was well aware of how this mirrored their first time, and while the symbolism was a nice touch, it was bringing all sorts of bad thoughts to his mind. Naruto's eyes squeezed shut, and Sasuke thought he was going to cry.

"Sasuke," he breathed raggedly, his hips rolling slowly in time with Sasuke's.

"Don't, Naruto," Sasuke hissed, kissing him. "Please don't."

Naruto muffled a noise behind the back of his hand, forcing his eyes open to stare at Sasuke as they moved in tandem, rocking lazily against each other, neither in any rush, wanting to make this last. Sasuke bent over Naruto's body and kissed his barely-there Adams apple, licking it and biting a little, feeling the rapid heartbeat thumping beneath Naruto's chest. Naruto reached up with both arms and pulled Sasuke close to him, his arms wrapping around Sasuke's neck and his nose burying itself in dark locks.

He somehow felt that these last weeks and recent days of torture has all been leading up to this. The first time he'd met Naruto, the first time he'd felt Naruto's hair slide between his fingertips, the first time he'd kissed Naruto. The first time he was terrified for Naruto's life. It had all led up to this, this slow, unadulterated sliding of hips and bodies, this youthful and unchoreographed dance that only he and Naruto knew the steps to. Sasuke wished with all of this being that this wasn't the end of this--this frail unity with the one person in life who seemed to understand him, to truly love him--but within his own head, he knew. This was it. Their last intimate moments. His soon to be distant memories of Naruto's smell and feel and taste would be based entirely off of this encounter, and he tried to fight the coil of heat winding in his stomach. It couldn't be over, not so soon. He wasn't ready to leave, to be alone again, without this boy that he had grown to care for.

Sasuke realized with a sad pang that Naruto was crying, hot tears streaking down his whiskered cheeks as he stared up at Sasuke, his hand playing slowly with his own cock. Sasuke pressed his forehead to Naruto's so suddenly that it hurt, and his hands gripped the sides of Naruto's face as he bent over Naruto's loose body and began to fuck him with intent, his hips pistoning with no rhythm or control.

Naruto made soft, pathetic noises below him, and he could feel Naruto's hand between their stomachs, jerking hard on his cock, just wanting it to be over so that maybe the incredible pain in his chest would cease. Naruto kissed Sasuke, crying his name against Sasuke's lips desperately as he came, his body jerking roughly in Sasuke's embrace. Sasuke shoved his face into Naruto's shoulder, fighting his orgasm and tears dually, and he came as well, letting out a stifled moan into Naruto's skin, his fingernails gripping into Naruto's cheeks.

They sat in silence for a while, their breathing filling the empty air. Then Naruto pulled away, wiping his hands across his face messily and turning on his side to face away Sasuke without a word.

Sasuke stared at Naruto's shaking shoulders and followed suit, falling on the mattress and staring hard at the wall, the heat of Naruto's back against his feeling suddenly distant. He closed his eyes and tried to will himself to sleep, trying desperately to ignore the sounds of Naruto choking over muffled sobs.

His bit his lip hard in an effort to keep it from trembling as hot tears welled in his eyes and spilled slowly down his cheeks.

* * *

**We're back! It was one of those deals where RL really just got in the way, and we kept putting it off and putting it off, but we finally got this one done. :) It's ungodly hour of the morning here, so I'll leave it at that. We appreciate the continued support and reviews from you guys, really. **


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